


To Build A Family.

by BunnyJess



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Arkham (Video Games), DCU (Comics), Green Lantern (Comics), Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Chronic Illness, Dad Kyle Rayner, Drug Use, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Family Bonding, Fluff, Huragok are adorable and need to be protected, Huragok are precious, Husbands, Jason Todd has chronic health conditions, Jason is a Dork, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Minor Character Death, No-one messes with the Rayner family, Outlaws, Past Child Abuse, Scars, Street Kids, The Batkids take after Bruce, White Lantern - Freeform, all the kids - Freeform, canon divergent Arkhamverse, dad jason todd, fight me, mentions of rape and attempted rape, mentions of torture, parents encourage their children, two different people and instances, wig maker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 09:57:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18341342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyJess/pseuds/BunnyJess
Summary: Over the twelve years of their relationship Kyle has learnt many things about his husband, Jason, and his family. One being that every one of Bruce's children take after him in at least one way. Anyone that's met Jason, both before and after a year of hell with the Joker, always assume he shares Bruce's violent nature. Kyle discovers that couldn't be further from the truth late one night during their second year of marriage. One little girl sets off a loud, chaotic, and loving chain of events that prove just how Jason and Bruce are similar.





	To Build A Family.

**Author's Note:**

> There are many OC's in this. Most are children. One is an entire alien race.

As he was stood at the stove Kyle’s thoughts floated away and he started reflecting on how his life had reached this point. When he’d first started dating Jason, prior to his kidnapping by Joker, Donna had warned him that each of the Wayne’s took after Bruce in a small way. He’d not believed her until he saw them all together. Dick had Bruce’s ability to shut his emotions down to focus on the fight. Tim had his habit of ignoring any form of self-care, including eating and sleep, to work on cases and WE reports. Cassandra had his fluidity with fighting and love of the mission. Damian’s ‘tt’ was just like Bruce, as was his love of adopting strays except in his case it was with animals. With Duke it was the need to be surrounded by family. For Jason, Kyle had always thought it was his violence in fighting the injustices of the world. Now he knew differently.

After being with the man for ten years, twelve if you included the time before Joker, he knew how wrong that first impression had been. The pile of pancakes beside him was evidence enough of that. As was the pounding of footsteps trampling down the stairs. In all the years they’d been together they’d done and seen a lot. Their biggest achievements however were the six children and teens they’d taken in.

It all started on a freezing November night not long after their wedding, two years after his rescue from Joker. Jason was swinging around the Bowery running, what he hoped, was a quick patrol. He’d not long gotten out of the Manor and back into his flat with Kyle after a severe chest infection led to him nearly being intubated. It was an unfortunate side effect from being tortured in a damp, derelict, and abandoned room under Arkham for so long. He’d become extremely immunocompromised and ended up intubated at least once during each subsequent cold and flu season. It worried Kyle so he was regularly using the blue light contained within him to top up his husband’s health. For the most part it worked to starve off the more common infections that were always around; when Kyle had no other options but to go into space however, then there was little he could do but worry and ensure Jason stayed at the Manor.

The cold was biting into his chest and causing all manner of problems for his stamina. The patrol was supposed to be just a fly by so the poorest people of the city knew he was still protecting them. Instead it devolved into a rescue mission.

***

As Jason jumped from one building to the next he heard a scared noise, a cross between a scream and a whimper. Immediately he span on his heel, silent as the night, and peered down into the alley between the two four storey buildings. The lenses of his helmet zoomed at his command to enhance the vision he’d lost during his year in near continuous darkness with the Joker. The sight he saw make his stomach roll and horrible memories from his time on the streets tried to creep out of the box he kept them tightly shut in.

Down in the dark, garbage filled alley were two people. One couldn’t be more than seven while the other was at least a teen. The teen had the small child pinned to the wall with a knife at their neck. They were riffling through the child’s clothing, demands for their money coming unbidden from their lips. Mixed in were the threats of taking what they were _owed_ by _other_ means if no money was found. Tears were falling from the child’s eyes as they tried to hold their body as still as possible to prevent the knife from slipping.

Rage simmered through Jason’s brain at a strength only rivalled by the clown’s venomous vitriol. Dropping down into the alley while drawing his own blade happened in the blink of an eye. His usually silent landing was loud enough to reverberate through the dank atmosphere. The teen scoffed as they turned. Jason took great glee from watching their cocky expression fall away and their face pale as the thug saw their own face reflected back in his shiny red helmet.

“This is your first warning,” he growled out as his helmet catalogued the teen’s face and stored it in the database. “You get three then you get a more permanent solution.” The Red Hood may not kill any more, that didn’t mean the streets believed that and so his reputation could still be wielded better than that of the most well-balanced sword.

The teen dropped their knife from the child’s throat and ran as fast as they could. Usually when Jason saw teens and children on the streets he’d give them cash and directions to shelters that wouldn’t report them to CPS. For this teen though, he just ignored him. No-one threatens children in _his_ territory and gets away with it.

He turned back to the child and felt his heart skip a beat, sadness welling behind tired eyes, as he realised they’d slid down the wall. Their grime smeared arms were tightly wrapped around their scabbed knees that peaked out of torn jeans. Their hair was matted and as he looked them over Jason was unsure of its original colour. Finally looking up at him with broken, almost empty, golden-hazel eyes Jason felt himself being drawn in.

The tall, muscular man crouched down and curled their shoulders inwards; hoping against hope that it’d make them seem smaller and less threatening. Jason partially depolarized the red faceplate so the child would be able to make out some of their features but most importantly read his expressions. Their eyes tracked his every movement while their body read clear resignation of being used. He let out a sigh and turned the voice modulation down. “Hey, are you okay darlin’?” Since his time with Joker Jason’s Park Row accent was back to being as thick as it was before Bruce found him. It was as if everything he was put through under the asylum smashed all of Alfred and Bruce’s diction lessons out of his brain. They covered a flinch, one that’d go unnoticed to the untrained eye…Jason had been trained by Gotham’s streets since birth to notice such a thing.

“T-t-th-thank y-y-you Mister Red Hood S-s-s-sir.” They stammered their way through. Their accent was as thick as Jason’s own, for as loud as he’d been at seven, they were quiet.

Giving in to the stabbing pain in his knees, Jason let his arse fall to the damp floor. “Don’ need to thank me, jus’ let me do somethin’ good for ya?” Subconsciously his hands had moved to start rubbing small circles just below his knee-caps in an attempt at lessening the pain. They shrugged at him, clever and careful eyes still watching his every movement. “I’m gon’ guess you ain’t got nowhere to stay. That about right?” A tentative nod was all the reply he got. “Alright, I know someone who’s been in your position ‘fore. They always said I could offer their spare room if I need. Sound like somethin’ you’d be interested in? It’s completely free and you can leave whenever you want, no conditions or alternate motives.” He held up a hand, his pinky finger extended. “Red Hood pinky-swear to ya. Ain’t nothing more bindin’ than that.”

A small giggle escaped which was followed by them clamping their lips tightly together. They held up their hand and wrapped their tiny finger around Jason’s. A quick shake and they dropped their hands to jump to their feet. Jason got permission from the child before scooping them into his arms. He could feel how tiny they really were once he’d gotten them safely settled against his hip.

In no time at all the odd pair had made it to the top floor apartment situated along the border between the Bowery and Burnley. Jason landed on the small balcony, set the child on their feet and knocked on the glass door. Soon enough the light flicked on and filtered through the curtain pulled over the glass. Jason felt a small hand take his and so, almost by instinct, he gave it a gentle squeeze. As the curtain pulled back Jason was glad for the helmet hiding his smile. Kyle was stood at the door looking sleep rumpled. His hair was all over the place and there were creases in his cheek. Luckily due to the cold snap coming through Gotham he was wearing a full set of fleece pyjamas and had thrown on a robe, where as he usually slept in boxers.

Kyle opened the door and smiled up at the Red Hood. “Hello Mister Hood, what brings you to my balcony?”

“I found this little one and they need somewhere to stay for a bit. I told her about the space you and your husband have and how they’d be under no obligations.” Jason watched the understanding bloom across his lovers’ face.

Kyle stepped back and let the pair into the warm flat. He’d made sure the heating would remain on during Jason’s patrol so he wouldn’t come home to a cold flat. The last thing he wanted to do was let his better half get cold and bring his pneumonia back.

He looked over the small child that was glued to the Red Hood’s side and knew he’d want them to stay. “So little one, what’s your name?”

The trio got settled on the sofa before they answered. “Evangeline Duval, Sir.”

“Evangeline is a beautiful name. How old are you sweetie?” He could feel the sleepiness disappearing as he watched the small girl. Her eyes were roaming around the flat, seeking out all the exits and places to hide. It was something he was used to after living with one of the BatClan for so long. Jason did it every time they went somewhere outside the flat or Manor. He’d even done it when Kyle had taken him to visit his mother before she’d passed.

“You can call me Eva if it’s easier Sir. It’s what my brother called me.” She pushed a lock of matted hair out of her face. “I’m seven, Sir.”

“Please call me Kyle. Sir makes me feel like a right old man, older than my husband’s dad even.” He let out a wry chuckle. “You must be very tired. Would you like a shower and then some sleep? Jason works nights so he’ll be here when you wake up. Maybe we can help you find your brother together then.” Of all the reactions Kyle was anticipating, Evangeline bursting into tears wasn’t one of them.

Great heaving sobs wracked her small frame as tears flowed down her face. If both men had to guess they’d say it was probably the first time she’d felt safe enough to cry. Jason slipped the arm she’d wedged herself against when they sat down out from between them and wrapped it around her shoulder lightly. As soon as the weight settled on her, Evangeline curled into the huge man and let all her pent-up emotions out. Kyle moved to her other side and began rubbing small, soothing circles on her back. He could feel her tiny chest moving in huge gasps as her tears continued.

It took ten minutes of murmured reassurances and gentle physical contact for Evangeline’s crying to subside. Once she’d cried herself out she remained curled into the Red Hood. A small whimper slipped from her lips when Kyle tried to remove the hand from her back. She was a touch starved little one who’d lacked the grounding that came from physical touch for many months. “Sorry,” she whispered. Her hands wiped away her remaining tears, then she used her sleeve to wipe her dribbling nose.

“There’s no need to be sorry Princesa.” Jason replied just as quietly. “We all need a good cry every now and then. Even I do.” His words seemed to be the exact thing she needed to hear as her little head finally rose from its perch on his armoured chest.

“Thank you.” She replied reverently. “It’s just...you...my brother.” Another sniffle escaped as she searched for the right words. “Artie, he...my brother, Arthur...it’s all my fault.” Big, fat tears fell down her cheeks as she looked up at the red helmet. Her gaze had locked into Jason’s eyes through the fuzzy, faded red of his visor. Jason pulled her closer. He already knew he wanted to protect this girl for the rest of his life. Even if she chose not to stay, he knew he’d find a way.

The fierceness with which the protective bond grew stumped him. He’d never felt it for anyone outside his own family before. Not since, not since Louie; he thought. Louie had been a kid he’d met on the streets. He’d seen him as his best friend but ultimately the street claimed him as it did so many.

“Artie’s death is all my fault.” Another great, heaving sob rippled through her small frame. The movement made it clearer to the two men just how underfed the poor child was. They stayed silent this time, knowing it would allow her to gather her thoughts and eventually speak. “My parents died a couple of years ago. They got caught in a Joker attack. Artie and I were sent to this foster family. At first Mr and Mrs Ringsworn seemed kind. They doted on me and helped my brother do well in school.” She rubbed her eyes, the tears finally drying up for good. She’d not had much to drink for a few days and could feel the dryness of her mouth getting worse with each word; but she ploughed on regardless. It was the first time she’d spoken about any of it with people that weren’t her brother. “Once they had our trust they changed. Artie was forced to run drugs for the Maroni family, he was beaten if he refused. Even when he was starving and weak from flu, they forced him out. We...they let us share a bed as the house was so crowded. Mr Ringsworn didn’t care about that. He’d come to us both during the night. Artie always tried to protect me, but it didn’t matter. He’d do whatever he wanted anyway. About a year later, when we were already making plans to run away, Artie overheard Mr and Mrs Ringsworn talking. They were planning on selling me to Tetch.”

“It was something they did. They sold kids to criminals that needed them and could afford the $15,000 price tag. It’s how much they get a year for each kid so...” Her tiny shoulders raised in a shrug. Both men could feel their blood boiling. Kyle knew if he’d been wearing his White Lantern ring he’d have been spewing red constructs everywhere. “Apparently my blonde hair and blue eyes were exactly what Tetch would want.” Both men glanced at her hair and finally noticed the inch of blonde nearest her scalp. “He packed our stuff that night and we ran.” Her hand slips into the pocket of her jeans, pulling out a folded piece of cardstock.  The delicate way she unfolded it showed the two men just how precious it is to her. It’s a strip of photos showing two dirt smudged faces grinning and pulling silly expressions. She runs a finger over the face of the boy, who they assume is Arthur, a look of sadness filling her eyes even more.

“A couple of months...he had been picking pockets for my hair dye. It’s all my fault. He...he wanted me safe so we dyed my hair brown. I could...I was...he was nearly back to our squat. The car...I tried to warn him,” she breaks off. Before the tears can truly take hold Evangeline finds herself scooped up into Jason’s strong arms while Kyle strokes her hair.

“Shush, you’re safe now. It wasn’t your fault.” Jason’s voice was firm but gentle. Holding no room for her to argue. “He was doing what all good brothers do. He was protecting you. I would know as I’ve got one older and three younger, plus an older and younger sister. I’m sure he’d sooner it have been him than you.” An idea hits both men and they had a quick, silent discussion. “I can find where the city buried his ashes and help you get him a gravestone if you’d like. Kyle and Jason can take you to see him too. Whenever you need.” She nodded her head before burrowing her face into his neck. The safety of his strong frame, the polar opposite to Mr Ringsworn, providing a sense of safety.

“Now Eva, shall we find you a snack and a glass of juice? We’ve got Lucky Charms and apple juice if they sound like something a growing girl like you would like.” Kyle’s change of topic seemed to be just what the girl needed. She eased her face away from the safety of Jason’s thick neck and nodded. There was almost an unrefined shyness that came over her, irrelevant of all she’d spilled.

Jason lowered Evangeline down and supported her until she was steady on her feet. He placed a strong hand on the girl’s shoulder, grounding her in the present. He knew how easy it was, after spilling so much pent up emotion, to get lost into your own thoughts. “Princesa would you like me to stay here until you’re asleep, or are you comfortable enough with Kyle you don’t need me?” Both noticed how she froze as soon as he mentioned leaving. As much as she’d accepted Kyle’s touch, Kyle’s reassurance, it was Jason she’d found a safe haven with. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’ll stay with you until you’re asleep. Except for when you’re in the shower, obviously.” He let out a little chuckle as he felt her relax under his hand once again.

***

Six months later Evangeline Duval had been adopted and became Evangeline Rayner. The seven-year-old was back to being a bubbly blonde, her hair now a cute mess of curls that finished at her chin. She’d demanded a pixie cut as soon as she’d felt safe enough to return to blonde. It was a connection to her brother, both sharing the same hair colour and curl, that she desperately wanted back.

Kyle and Jason found life as new parents stressful, as all new parents do. They were expertly placed however, to tackle all the issues that come from losing family members and living on Gotham’s mean streets. Kyle easily got her into art, recognising the amount of talent her tiny hands possessed. For Jason’s part, he taught her self-defence and caught her up on all the Disney films she’d missed out on. He’d had help from Dick with the last part. The massive Disney nerd refused to miss a movie marathon with his new niece.

With the injection of a happy child into their home who they were helping re-learn how to hope and dream, Jason decided to pursue his own dreams. He wanted nothing more than to be a good example to his daughter, _his_ Princesa, and so started at Gotham University. He already knew he wanted to major in English Literature while also having a minor in foreign languages. His family had teased him, geek being shouted over the comms and through the Manor as often as possible. None of it affected Jason however; as his Princesa told him how proud she was of _her_ Pai in Spanish. She was even picking up the more Dominican aspects of the language that are a result of his mother’s heritage. He’d only been teaching the young girl the language for a few weeks but she seemed to possess his natural ability.

Their incomes changed as well, something Jason never thought would happen. He went from having to scrimp and save from a flexible working arrangement at the local library (who understood how ill he could get) to working from home doing translations from the six extra languages he knew into English and Spanish. Kyle’s art finally took off too.

Bruce had secretly arranged a show at the local gallery for him. With the Wayne name now adding credit to the Rayner family his art became the hottest thing around. Pieces were selling for more than $100,000 and he had commissions coming in from around the globe. He was able to limit the number of commissions he took on to fit in with his family and White Lantern life due to the monetary value now being placed on his work.

***

It was two months before the celebration of Evangeline being adopted for a year (Jason deciding their Princesa needed to celebrate both her birth date and adoption date) that another child fell into their lap.  The family were visiting the paediatric departments at Gotham General Hospital. They were sponsored by the Wayne Foundation to not only enable cutting edge access for the children of Gotham but also helped subsidise some of the health costs to make it easier for the families of the city to access care for their youngest residents.

As someone who not only had limited access to health care as a child, but also regularly found themselves within Gotham General’s walls as an adult Jason had asked to be the patron of that arm of the charity. The family had readily agreed, each overseeing and being the public figurehead of different arms of the Foundation. It did mean that he was required to make visits to check up on how the charity’s resources were being spent and to see if there was more they could offer.

Today he’d decided to bring his family along with him, something he didn’t often do when visiting the paediatric departments. It was because he didn’t want to overwhelm the children. Today just felt different, plus with Kyle finally back from space after spending two months galivanting around fighting space sharks and all manner of creatures the family just wanted to spend more time together.

“Dadddddddd,” Eva whined from her room. She was struggling to find the dress ‘Great-Grandpa’ Alf had sent over for the event. Tensions were already running high as they’d not had the best start to the morning with Kyle slipping in the kitchen due to the pancake batter exploding.

“Yeah Baby?” Kyle asked as he pushed open her purple door. They’d let her paint it to prevent it becoming covered in posters, something she’d started doing until Alfred complained about the amount of dust they’d collect. Not wanting to be the cause of her Pai getting sick she’d taken them down. To show how proud they were of her, the couple had then given her the chance to paint it a bright colour.

“I can’t find that dress Great-Grandpa Alf got me. I thought it was in here.” She growled out as best an eight-year-old could.

Kyle repressed a chuckle and pulled his daughter into a hug. “Sweetpea, I’m sure your Pai knows where it is. Why don’t you ask him?” She rolled her eyes and shot him a look that read pure _of course, Pai knows where everything is_. Kyle and Jason still hadn’t the heart to tell her it was because he suffered from PSTD which also included OCD.

Evangeline skipped out the room wearing everything for the day except the ocean blue dress. She was refusing to wear anything else as _her_ favourite extended relative had sent it to her. Alfred had quickly won the young girl over with homemade cookies and tamales. She found her Pai in the bathroom trying to tame his own curls, a job that was always futile. “Pai have you seen _the_ dress?” She asked, voice saccharine sweet.

Jason smiled with a small quirk of his lips at his Princesa’s behaviour. For some reason she seemed to think that he hadn’t heard slightly bratty way she’d called for Kyle. “It’s in the airing cupboard to get rid of any creases.” Just as she was about to run off, he snatched her hand and pulled her over to him. “Also, don’t speak to your Dad like that.” She lowered her gaze looking perfectly chastised, a ruse he saw through but let her off as it was too stressful a morning to worry about now.

There was a frantic energy to the hospital when the family arrived. The press were gathered by the entrance and Vicki Vale was waiting just inside to follow the family around. They each took a deep breath and walked through the vultures. There were a few comments regarding the less than conventional nature of their family by the more conservative press members who’d come out. Evangeline took both her father’s hands and felt them squeeze, comfort surging from the point of contact as she ignored the remarks being made.

Once they got into the hospital they were met by many members of staff. There was; the nurse in charge of the paediatric department, their deputies for both the medical and surgical wards, and the Chief of Paediatrics (an old Attending who’d been promoted). The introductions weren’t as stilted as usual as Jason had met most of them on previous visits. The nurses were incredibly friendly towards Evangeline helping her parents relax into the setting. It allowed Jason to switch to his ‘Wayne’ persona and fall into easy conversation with the lead nurse and Chief of Paediatrics.

Disinfectant, boiled cabbage, and a distinct smell that could only be described as _hospital_ assaulted the family’s noses as they stepped through the door to the medical ward. There was noise everywhere; machines were beeping, pearls of laughter broke apart the potentially grim atmosphere, and a hum of multiple people talking could be heard everywhere. Jason moved to the front of the group and fell into step with the ward manager, Fabienne. She was a middle-aged nurse who had a warm, welcoming smile and kind brown eyes. Her black skin made the colours of her Big Hero 6 scrub top stand out even brighter, something that was clearly loved by the children who swarmed her as they stepped into the first bay of six beds.

Kyle felt his love for Jason grow as he watched the man effortlessly manage talking with Fabienne and interacting with the children. He’d crouched down so they didn’t feel intimidated by his 6’ 200lb frame. Immediately they’d began climbing over him, talking to him about al the toys and friends they had while in the hospital.

Evangeline wandered away from her parents. An insatiable intrigue which annoyed her parents at time led to her entering a bay where five children, some with IV drips of medications and others with nasal canula delivering oxygen, were sat in around a table doing some colouring and school work appropriate for their ages. None of them were what caught her attention, however. What did catch her attention was a small toddler huddled into the corner of a cot, eyes almost vacant.

“Hey little one,” her tone was as low and soothing as when she’d speak with Helena. Helena was her new baby Tía who was only a month old. Abuelo Bruce had finally, according to her Pai, gotten his act together and found happiness with Abuela Selina.

The child’s head listed in her direction, but their gaze never strayed looking at nothing. Sensing a presence behind her Evangeline turned around. A nurse who reminded her of Tío Tim from how similar they appeared physically was watching the child with sadness decorating their features. “He’s not said a word since he was bought in two weeks ago. We aren’t even sure of his name.” Jaio said. He hated how unresponsive the child was. He never screamed when they gave him medications or checked him over. He slept when they tucked him in, rose when they needed him to. The only thing the child had done that Jaio recognised as for themselves was curl up in the corner of the cot, even when they had the option of joining in with the other children.

“Is that right sweetie, not in a talking mood?” Evangeline directed her answer towards the small boy. There was something about him that just pulled her in. “Well, how about I just spend some time with you? My Dad and Pai are here on some charity thing so I’ve got a while.” She reached over for the fluffy teddy bear sat on the bedside table, placing it down gently in front of them. “I’m Eva. This teddy looks like they could also use a friend.”

For fifteen minutes the eight-year-old sat and talked. She talked with the bear. She talked to Jaio. Most of all, she talked to the toddler. For fifteen minutes his nurse watched as the interaction went the same as every other interaction he’d witnessed with the boy. His hazel eyes were now fixed on the blonde girl but there didn’t seem to be anything behind them. As every question went by unanswered Jaio grew more and more convinced that Evangeline would get up and walk away.

Instead they were all amazed. Evangeline was absentmindedly stroking the bear while she spoke about how much she wanted both a dog and a little sibling as she’d fallen in love with Tía Helena. Tentatively, hand shaking as it let go of his pant leg, the small boy reached out and stroked the bear. Jaio mentally commended the girl’s parents as she didn’t react in any way he could see, she just continued stroking the bear.

“Mr Rayner, your daughter is a credit to you and your husband.” Kyle allowed himself to jump slightly, knowing it would be a normal reaction to someone suddenly speaking to you, to hide how often his in-laws crept up on him with their _stupid_ Bat stealth.

“Oh, uh, thank you. She, she’s only been with us for ten months.” Kyle shook the nurse’s hand, making a note of how much they looked like Tim so he could ask if Jason and Eva thought the same. “What’s she done that’s caught your eye, if you don’t mind my asking.”

Jaio smiled warmly and waved Kyle over to the window that looked into the bay Evangeline was sat in. “The boy she’s talking to was fetched to us after being found in a crate when the Bat broke up a drug den. From what the police said they didn’t think the Bat had found him, which makes sense as he’s been so quiet.” Jaio took a steadying breath, the stress and emotional toll of nursing got to the best of them. “He’d not said a word or interacted in any way with any of us. For _two_ weeks. Your daughter has just spent fifteen minutes talking with him and a bear she found. He, I still can’t quite believe it to be honest with you, he reached out and has been stroking it for the last five minutes. His eyes are slowly looking less vacant and he appears to be really listening to her.”

Kyle was shocked. He would never understand how the two most caring and compassionate people he knew had survived Gotham’s streets when just living in the city turned most people sour and selfish. His daughter was managing to draw out the child hidden behind layers of trauma induced walls, just like Jason had managed to do for her. For all he considered Eva his daughter, he knew in his heart that she most closely resembled Jason. There was an undercurrent of bitter anger to them both, but they were able to harness it for the better. Sure Jason could be brash and violent during patrol and cases but it _never_ rolled over into his home life. Eva was suspicious and deeply distrustful of _everyone_ outside of her family, however she didn’t let it stop her from helping those younger or less fortunate than her. Already, aged eight and having only been Bruce Wayne’s Granddaughter for ten months, she was using her new status to fleece the rich at the few galas she’d had to attend thereby getting them to contribute more to the charity of the night. None could resist the large blue eyes when welled up with emotion, especially when combined with messy blonde curls and a full lower lip bitten between teeth to make her appear nervous.

Spinning on his heel Kyle felt like his thoughts were spinning just the same way. He _had_ to find Jason. He had to do _something_. Tentative excitement was thrumming under his skin. Fear was trying to encroach his stomach. All being held back by the deep willing to help. To ensure that toddler doesn’t just survive but thrives.

Just as Kyle was about to reach the bay Jason had moved to, he slammed into a Social Worker. As he looked up an apology on the tip of his tongue a small laugh of recognition replaced it. “Kimberly! Hey!” He held his hand out for a quick handshake but found himself pulled into a tight hug.

“Kyle, it’s been a few months. Which is a good thing, must mean Eva is doing well in your family.” The underlying concern was easy to detect when Kyle had had to spend a few months seeing the woman regularly as he and Jason got approved to be both foster carers before ultimately adopting Evangeline.

“She’s doing fantastically. Actually, she’s here with us today and has managed to find possibly the most traumatised little boy on the ward. Just like our Eva to do that and get him to interact when others haven’t.” Kyle rubbed his neck, suddenly self-conscious and worried about bringing an eight-year-old along on a charity event.

Kimberly’s mouth dropped open in shock as she failed to keep her usually professional composure. “You can’t possibly mean Baby Doe. They’ve _never_ interacted with anyone!” Confusion marred Kyle’s features, unsure of who she was referring to. “The little boy who is in that bay.” She pointed to where Kyle had just come from. He felt a grin tug at his lips realising his daughter was once again defying expectations. He nodded at the woman who was in her mid-to-late-twenties. She barked out a laugh drawing Jason’s attention as he was exiting the bay nearest them.

“Kimberly, good to see you. Although I’m assuming if you’re here it’s not for any good reasons.” Jason stiffly returned her hug, slipping his hand into Kyle’s once the woman let him go. He may have been in therapy for years since the Joker ‘incident’ but he still hated touch that was from people outside his family. Kyle gave his hand a squeeze, drawing his attention to his husband.

Kyle let his forest green eyes meet Jason’s ocean blue ones. “I was just coming to find you. Eva found a kid and has managed to get him to interact with her. Come see.” Without waiting for an answer Kyle started dragging Jason over to the bay’s window. Happiness and hope were blooming faster and faster in his chest, like flowers opening in the mid-day sun of summer. “We can help him Jay, at least I think we can…” Kyle let his voice trail off. Everything could have been said with words that wouldn’t have explained it as well as seeing Evangeline dancing with the toddler held securely in her arms, the teddy bear squished between them. Both were laughing and there was a life to the toddler that none of the ward’s staff had seen.

The group of adults stood watching the two children dancing and having fun. Jason had Kyle’s hands digging tightly into his arm, both radiating nauseating levels of pride at their daughter. She made her way to the bay entrance, twirling the little boy all the while. “Pai, Dad, he is _adorable_!” She squealed. A similar noise was heard from the toddler as Evangeline began tickling him.

Jaio stepped forward, “Evangeline has he told you his name at all? We’ve not been able to figure it out or get him to tell us.” Evangeline gave a nod, her expression very serious. It made her fathers smile, she knew when she was being given an important task.

“Do you have a name sweetie?” She whispered to him, her tone the same soothing one she’d been using initially. Evangeline may have hated being spoken to as if she was a skittish stray animal, but it seemed to be reassuring the small toddler in her arms.

Baby Doe looked up at her and fisted his hand in the strap of her dress. He shook his head and started to make small whimpering noises until he spotted Kimberly, at which point he froze in Eva’s arms. All the colour and life she’d managed to bring to the cute child’s face drained away in the face of the adult. Evangeline started to bounce unconsciously, a gentle hum accompanying the movement. She decided to take him back to his cot and continue the conversation there. He’d not spoken to her yet, but she had gotten noises out of him.

Ten minutes later, once Evangeline had gotten the toddler settled down for a nap, she met up with the adults. Her Pai had had to continue with his visit and so it was just Kyle, Jaio, and Kimberly who met her outside the bay. “I asked him a few questions and the poor boy doesn’t have a name. His Mum didn’t give him one, neither did the other _adults_ ,” she said the word with such disgust that Jaio flinched away from her. She knew the types of people that inhabited the lowest rungs of Gotham and often they couldn’t be considered that if they dared to hurt children. “He needs a name Dad. I can’t…I…Dad we’ve got to help name him. If that’s okay with you Miss Kimberly?”

“I think that would be a wonderful idea Evangeline as I suspect I know who his foster parents will become.” The social worker shot Kyle a knowing look as Evangeline wandered back to the toddler thinking of names.

***

The boy became Dylan Arthur Rayner. The name was the one he responded to best from all three other members of the Rayner family when Evangeline was helping him choose a name. His adoption was a surprise to no-one. He fit into the family as easily as Eva had.

During Evangeline’s Adoption Day celebrations he’d tried to attach himself to her for the duration. Dylan was clearly appreciative of everything his new sister had done for him, showing everyone that a two-year-old was far more intelligent than any of them thought they would be. Her day had been a massive hit with family and friends all congregating at the Manor to celebrate with the Rayner family.

Jason and Kyle wanted to enrol Dylan into day-care just so he could be around other children his own age. The snag came from his new Abuelo. Bruce, through watching his son and his husband with Evangeline, realised how being as absent as he was with his own children was being a detriment to their wellbeing. As a result he started taking them out individually over the weekend, each getting to spend the whole day with him. This worked so well that he refused to not do the same with his Grandson. However, due to spending the weekends with his children (who would have loved to have Dylan come along) and sometimes with Evangeline, it led to him taking a day off per week to spend with Dylan.

Bruce would arrive at their apartment bright and early, usually before eight, to take Dylan out for breakfast. He’d then spend the whole day spoiling his Grandson the only way a billionaire Grandfather really could. They’d go to the zoo, where he’d get a toy or plush of whichever animal was his favourite during that visit. When he was sure Pamela Isley was locked up tight in Arkham he’d take the toddler to Gotham Botanical Gardens where he could experience the green that refused to grow elsewhere in the smog infected city.

As the family set about planning Dylan’s third birthday it was Bruce who helped them find the venue. To fit all his family, plus the friends who were as good as family, and all the friends he’d made at day-care Bruce rented out the Gotham Children’s Museum. They had access to every floor and the museum used their conference space for the party. He’d offered something similar for Evangeline’s eight birthday, but she’d still been relatively new to the family and didn’t believe that the family genuinely wanted to celebrate with her.

As the months progressed the family learnt a lot about young Dylan. He had a love of Micky Mouse Clubhouse. Mornings never, _ever_ , started early enough. Bedtime was more of a guideline than a rule. It took him a month to start speaking to Jason and Kyle, another two to talk to his extended family. Once the floodgates opened however, it became increasingly difficult to shut them. If Dylan was awake, then Dylan was making noise. His room was decorated to look like the inside of the Clubhouse, complete with a reading nook that resembled Pluto’s dog house.

Evangeline slotted into the role of big sister as easily as she’d slotted into the role of daughter. She demanded her Dad take her to the hardware store as soon as Dylan was allowed home from the hospital. She picked a dark red for his door and then painted his name on it. While Dylan and Rayner were painted in a vibrant white; Evangeline picked out a sun yellow for Arthur. It was later than night when she had stumbled from her room and into her Pai’s arms that they discovered why she’d picked the colour. The sun yellow had reminded her of a dream she’d had where Arthur, her brother, had come to visit her with his angel wings glowing a beautiful mid-summer sun yellow and a beauty that would have blinded her had they not been in a dream. Jason agreed that he’d probably been reassuring her of where he now resided, so she knew for sure that he was always watching over her just as he’d always promised.

With two children life seemed pretty perfect for the married couple. Kyle still regularly had to leave Earth for White Lantern business but, by being the fastest Lantern even when he’d been in green, was able to make it home just as often. Jason had more and more work as a translator which contributed to his mood lifting, and healing eased some of the depression that came with his PTSD.

Both men still had nightmares, just as their children did. On the worst nights the family would curl up on the large corner sofa that Kyle had gotten when Evangeline and Jason broke the old on by jumping on it. Disney movies or random programmes about baby animals would be on the TV. Popcorn and hot chocolate would be consumed. Morning would eventually find the family of four fast asleep in a huge pile, the safety and warmth eventually having lulled them all into a dreamless sleep.

***

Dylan had been with the family for a year and a half when the next child joined their family. Unfortunately it couldn’t have come at a worse time for them. Jason was in the ICU at West Mercy Hospital. He’d collapsed on the grounds of Gotham University where he taught part-time as a linguistics professor. He’d been suffering from a cough for a few weeks that was refusing to shift, eventually it had led to severe pneumonia which resulted in the sepsis that caused his collapse.

A week prior to Jason’s admission Kyle had left Earth. His ring had received a distress call from Guy Gardener who was having trouble with a huge fleet of Almeraci trying to invade the Ragtari home world. The Ragtari are a quadrupedal reptilian race, that could manage to walk bipedal if needed, that originate from the planet Ragtar. Their history mimicked Humanity’s somewhat in that their planet had been through repetitive wars, losing generations at a time. A couple centuries ago they had almost faced extinction at their own hands when a war they had been fighting for a century saw catastrophic losses on all sides, a hasty truce was agreed to end the conflict with then further peace talks held to ensure their near self-genocide would never happen again.

Since then their race had leapt from strength to strength and their populace was now into the tens of millions for the first time since the start of the war. They had developed mediocre space flight and warfare capabilities but were nowhere near to testing any kind of faster than light drives. Humanity had had few encounters with the race as they preferred to keep themselves to themselves, fearing that any exterior input could result in yet another super destructive civil war. That being said on the rare occasions’ humanity had to interact with the Ragtari they had been met with kindness and respect so where this blatant hostility was coming from was beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.

Dylan and Evangeline were moved into the Manor with Dick returning from Blüdhaven to help out with the two children. Both were distressed as any child would be at seeing their Pai in such a state. Bruce had managed to get a call through to Hal Jordan who was also on scene at Ragtar, letting Kyle know the situation at home.

With his husband so ill and his children in the care of their Abuelo Kyle found a new determination to end the conflict as fast as possible. The Almeraci were initially reluctant to talk to the Lanterns as they were determined to turn the ‘weak-minded’ Ragtari into their slave race. They had stood steadfast after discovering that some of the families had close connections with Huragok. The Huragok are an intriguing race. Some are engineer minded with a pink colour to their floating mass who find enjoyment from investigating any form of technology they come across from basic motors found in toys to the intricate ships used for space travel. Others were more biologically swayed. They were smaller than their engineer counterparts with a moss green colouring but can use their tentacles to heal.

As the news of Kyle’s husband being hospitalised filtered through the Lantern’s that had gathered to assist the Ragtari the battle and negotiations turned in their favour. Bleez was furious that her friend was having to be so far away from his family when they were in such a trying time. The red rage she spewed and the constructs she created blocked the vast majority of the fleet from further approaching the planet. Hal and Guy joined forces with John Stewart and Simon Baz to create a massive green wall, reminiscent of the wall created by the Nova Corp in the Guardians of the Galaxy film that they’d all gone and watched together on their last visit to home. Jessica Cruz meanwhile was working on negotiations with Kyle and the Blue Lantern Saint Walker.

The renewed strength lent to him by his friends imbued Kyle with the motivation to keep pushing forward. Once they’d managed to push the Almeraci back, with Jessica convincing them that no more than the leader of the fleet would be arrested if they left quickly, Kyle landed on Ragtar. He had every intention of helping with the clean-up operation…the universe had other ideas.

***

As Kyle’s feet touched down on the scorched earth of Ragtar he could feel the heat left by the energy blasts the Lantern Corps hadn’t been in time to stop. The city he’d arrived at looked like a live version of the photos he’d studied of the Blitz in London for a commission for the Imperial War Museum. Buildings had been smashed into piles of rubble. Ragtari were running through the streets. Some were screaming out for loved ones. Others were attempting to provide aid. Some were sat amongst the piles of rubble looking shell-shocked, his ring picking up on their disbelief.

The scent of Ragtari blood filled the air, mixing in with the ash and burning embers. A small cry tugged Kyle’s attention from the main throng of people and over to a building that had half collapsed. His ring, being ever helpful, translated the sign that hung loosely from the door. Sym’Jec’s Orphanage for the Lost. His heart sank. Despite harnessing the blue light of home Kyle couldn’t feel much hope for any potential children who’d been in the destroyed half of the building when the plasma beam struck.

The cry sounded again and Kyle’s feet propelled him towards the rubble. He could see one of the tentacles that usually signified a Huragok was nearby but couldn’t see the rest of the alien. Using his ring; Kyle began to slowly shift the rocks. What he eventually found underneath made his breath catch in his throat and his heart seize.

Curled up in a ball was a Ragtari child. There was the Huragok, whose tentacle he’d seen, carefully shifting debris to ensure the child was safe. Thankful his ring enabled translations, Kyle knelt down so he could better see the two aliens. He could tell that even the Huragok was young compared to the others he’d seen with Ragtari. “Greetings youngling. I can see that this Huragok has helped protect you in the blast.” He reached out his hand, using slow movements to display his lack of negative intent. “Can I help get you out?” The alien threw themselves into Kyle’s arms and began to sob.

“I, I,” they hiccupped into his shoulder. “I didn’t think anyone was coming.” His ring quickly translated. Despite the power used in battle, it still held enough for the translations to be extremely quick. “Exorbitantly Light saved me. They’re my,” they took a gasping breath and Exorbitantly Light reached out a tentacle to awkwardly pat their back. “They’re my only friend. Will you be my friend Lantern?”

Kyle easily agreed then scooped the child into his arms and started off for the undamaged part of the orphanage. “I’m Kyle. What’s your name?”

“Uzo’Amari. Thank you for being my friend Kyle.”

“That is a beautiful name. I bet my partner would include it in his newest book if you let him.” He saw the black colouring spread across their face. The purple of their blood mixing with the dark red of their skin as they did the human equivalent of blushing.

It was only once he made it back to the orphanage that the story of Uzo’Amari came out. The female Ragtari child was only ten-star cycles old but had lived in the Sym’Jec orphanage for the majority of their life. As a youngling their family had gotten caught in one of the bombings during the civil war. Exorbitantly Light had found great fascination during Zanya’Uzo’s pregnancy, despite being an engineer Huragok. All the new technology bought into the house helped. It was Exorbitantly Light who had scooped Uzo’Amari up and took her to help. They had been inseparable ever since.

She had been bullied during the majority of her time at the orphanage. All due to her difference in appearance. The blast that took out her family also took half of her right fore-limb. Due to the loss Uzo’Amari was forced to be bipedal to relieve the stress from her left fore-limb. The other children taunted her with disgusting names Kyle’s ring refused to translate and beat her when they felt the need.

As Kyle listened to the story of the child still curled up in his lap, he felt tears slip from his eyes and try to leak from his mask. No child should be bullied because they’re different. He’d listened to enough stories from Jason to know the lasting effect it could have. He doubted it was any different for Ragtari considering the current state of Uzo’Amari. He’d been talking with the orphanage workers for over an hour (Earth time) but she had yet to let go of the White Lantern. Exorbitantly Light was constantly hovering over his shoulder, one tentacle poking at his ring as they wished to take it apart and understand it.

Kyle tries every skill he’s learnt over his two and a half years as a father to a toddler and a child to extract himself from Uzo’Amari. Ultimately he fails spectacularly. The small traumatized girl is frighteningly strong, her one remaining front clawed paw clinging to his suit in an unbreakable grip. The whole situation is made worse by her Huragok who wraps themselves around the pair, their tentacles threading through Kyle’s dark hair and Uzo’Amari’s blue hair. Their petting both, clearly in an attempt to mimic the soothing gesture Kyle had been doing to Uzo’Amari when he’d first found her.

“There is something you need to know about the children of our race Mr Lantern Sir.” The orphanage director, Anda’Riquo, suddenly informs Kyle. He’s placed a gentle touch to the Lantern’s arm in an attempt to reassure; another gesture they’ve seen the human Lanterns doing during the clean up operation. Kyle turns to face Anda’Riquo, showing the male Ragtari he’s got as much of his attention that can be spared. “When we lose our parents, or our whole family like with Mari here, it’s…well it is quite unfortunate Sir.” Kyle can feel the impatient glare he’s now giving the Ragtari that’s hidden behind his whiteout lenses. The race are a friendly bunch, but they do like to beat around the bush when talking about anything that is uncomfortable. “A lot of children never find new homes as those that can have their own children do. That leaves a very small number of adults willing to enter orphanages. You see, it isn’t the family that choose the child…or even a mutual decision between the new family.” Kyle can see where Anda’Riquo is going before he even finishes his sentence. Still, he keeps quiet. Unwilling to confirm his suspicions. “As children we know our bonds. We know who are family and who will care for us. Unlike on your planet few children are rarely, if ever, subjected to abuse by adults. They are able to pinpoint the adults who will care for them best…love them best if you will.” Kyle sucks in a quiet breath as he looks down at the blue head of hair currently nestled under his chin, ear over his heart. “It would appear Mr Lantern Sir; that Uzo’Amari has picked you as her family.”

Kyle can feel the manipulation coming. He watches Anda’Riquo carefully as he lays a touch to Uzo’Amari’s back. For all the planets he’s visited, for all the alien races and families he’s seen, he’s never seen so many orphaned children that don’t venture outside the grounds of the orphanage. He thinks he’s finally understanding why. If they were to leave and find the people they had a connection with then they’d never return and the adults in the home would be frantic. Authorities would be called. Everyone would think the child had disappeared. When all they’d done was found their family, whether those adults wanted a child or not. Which in turn could lead to the abuse he’s witnessed and heard about on his own planet.

“She needs to stay with me doesn’t she.” Kyle whispers under his breath, barely shifting the thick hair it comes out so softly. “Uzo’Amari needs to join my family with my husband and two children doesn’t she.” Kyle states, levelling his gaze back to Anda’Riquo. For what it is worth, the orphanage director looks guilty for placing the human in such a position. Kyle just manages to contain the scoff that the man’s guilt builds in him. “You would be okay with me taking a child from her home planet and back to my own, to be a part of my family, even though you’ve only known me a short time.” Kyle still can’t quite believe what’s happening. How the _hell_ is he going to explain all of _this_ to Jason. To his kids. His thoughts start to spiral. Every decision he’s made since Dylan came into the family, and even a few from the rest of his life, start to gather doubt.

Uzo’Amari lifts her head, as if sensing his self-doubt and the swirling vortex of fear his thoughts have become, to make eye contact with Kyle. Her voice in timid, more timid than he’s heard it yet. Even more so than when he’d first met her under the rubble. “You don’t have to Mr Kyle. I will be perfectly happy here.”

It’s those few short words. The conviction that this small bullied child will make her situation work if he wants to leave her behind. The look of sincerity on her face. The way she’s already loosening her grip on him. It all builds up to collide with his fear, his doubt, his general _what the fuck do I do_ , and give him his answer. “If you are happy to learn a new world, and I do have friends who come from other planets there too, then you are more than welcome to be mine and Jason’s daughter. You would have a younger sister and brother too, if that is okay.”

“Daughter,” her mouth forms around the strange alien word. A word the Ragtari clearly don’t have a translation for. “It is what your people call their female children yes?” Back to Ragtari Kyle can’t contain the beaming smile and pride she’s already pulling from him.

“Yes, it is. You would be my daughter, Uzo’Amari.” Both front fore-legs are thrown around his neck and Kyle finds himself crushed in a hug. Exorbitantly Light even joins in. Their gas-filled body plastering itself to their sides and the chair.

***

When Kyle eventually makes it back to Earth a week after getting the call from Jason’s family and having been mocked by all of the other Earth Lanterns for taking after his father-in-law; Kyle is overwhelmed with that same fear as he’d initially felt on Ragtar. He had to introduce a Ragtari child and her pet Huragok to one of the most paranoid families on the planet (probably in the Multiverse). It was only as he’d stepped through his balcony door, Uzo’Amari curled up in his arms and Exorbitantly Light floating behind, that he remembered it was Jason he was about to introduce them to. He’d never seen Jason judge anyone for their physical looks, only for their shitty attitudes or illegal behaviour.

With a small translator, generated from his ring, hanging from her neck Uzo’Amari had soon dropped from his arms and ran over to Jason. The man was looking appropriately sleep rumpled for 10am on a Saturday morning three days after leaving hospital. He’d given Kyle a bemused look and just started fixing the new occupants and his husband bowls of cereal.

Evangeline and Dylan found Uzo’Amari endlessly fascinating, just as she did them. Zatanna was able to enchant two amulets so the two aliens would be able to look like a human girl and her dog. She was also able to include a translator for Uzo’Amari so she could understand and be understood by the people she now shared a home and world with.

For Jason and Evangeline it had made sense when Kyle had returned from space with another child for their family. Each of them had now found someone who needed them, who needed their family. Kyle’s just had the added benefit of giving Abuelo Bruce conniptions every time they were out of the house. He still had a great distrust of magic and was paranoid the charms would fail thereby exposing the secrets of his family’s _activities_ to the world.

It was made endlessly more amusing when they would see photos of Bruce looking constipated or like he was about to have a mini-stroke while pulling the family dog away from a car knowing that actually he’d been pulling Exorbitantly Light away from the car so they didn’t dismantle it and rebuild it. Which was something they were prone to doing when the mood struck them.

On more than one occasion Bruce had found his son and his family down in the cave while Exorbitantly Light was rebuilding the Batmobile into any number of new items. He’d attempted to chastise Jason until Alfred reminded him of a time when they’d spent months missing Jason’s smile or laugh that now rang out around the stalactites whenever his children, pet Huragok, or husband would mess with the other family members. Now he just laughs along with them, knowing that the Huragok would _hopefully_ return the car to its rightful state before patrol.

***

Jason always felt a bone-deep sense of pride when he saw how well his kids got along. It was not secret that the Wayne siblings sometimes disagreed or argued, unlike normal sibling arguments however theirs were often influenced by the events of patrol and the media. With his own children their quarrels seemed miniscule by comparison, especially as they were always resolved by bedtime.

Having a younger brother had helped Evangeline begin to accept Arthur’s death. She was often found playing with the small boy. She encouraged him in his every endeavour. Her enthusiasm increasing if said endeavour involved the pair terrorising their fathers.

When Uzo’Amari came along Evangeline and Dylan had soon began dragging her into their escapades. Dylan showed no fear of her true form, or that of her Huragok. He was often found curled up with her listening intently as she practiced reading the human language English. For Evangeline, she enjoyed having a sibling close to her own age who could join her shopping trips with Tía Cass and her girlfriend Tía Steph.

The family had just re-settled after their family dynamics changed for what felt like the hundredth time during their relationship when they changed once more. It was an especially chilly January night, three months after Uzo’Amari came to Earth, and Jason had the night off from patrol as he’d still yet to be given the all clear by Leslie or Alfred after his last ICU admission. The kids were being looked after by Roy and Kori, who were Tío and Tía to the kids in their own right, so they could spend some time with their cousin Lian. It also gave Uzo’Amari a chance to bond with another alien living on Earth. This meant that Jason and Kyle were having a date night.

They’d had a delicious and, frankly disgustingly, romantic dinner in one of the only Michelin starred restaurants in Gotham. The place was run by an Iranian family who served up authentic food using family recipes. The few times the couple had been Jason had _always_ badgered the owners and chefs to share the recipes; though they never did, choosing instead to accept the compliments with grace and a little laugh. Tonight was no different. After dinner they’d returned to their penthouse apartment to watch a couple of films they’d missed out on in recent months. Being parents to three young kids meant they often missed out on the new releases unless they were animated.

The pair had just slumped back into their comfortable, and frankly expensive, sheets after a round of uninterrupted sex…another rarity for the couple. Kyle had Jason’s head pillowed on his shoulder and was running his fingertips along his scarred side when Jason’s phone started going off. There was a mumbled curse from the Gotham hero as he had just been on the cusp of sleep. With his own litany of curses Kyle handed the phone over.

“Wha?” Jason’s sleepy voice immediately asked upon answering. He hadn’t checked the caller ID and regretted it when he heard the person on the other end speak.

“Hello Jace? It’s Jim.” The familiar timbre had the opposite affect to usual. Where it was usually good at soothing the panic attack prone Wayne, this time it made him sit straight up and go on high alert.

Jason ran a hand through his hair and held the phone more securely to his ear. “Evenin’ Commish. You’re not usually one for social calls.” He heard a sigh from the other man, one he’d only heard when he’d first been found after the Joker. It was one that spoke of having seen too much in one career, one lifetime. It was one filled with the pain for all the innocent people who had to suffer in the hellmouth of a city both men called home. “What’s up Jim? I know you wouldn’t be calling me at this hour to chat when it isn’t _that_ month.”

Another sigh escaped the Commissioner and Jason could picture the man trying to hold the phone, pinch the bridge of his nose, and drink his coffee. “You’re right there Lad. We’ve had a, uh, _situation_. I know you’ve done wonders with the traumatized kids you’ve adopted. That you and Kyle understand them on a level not many other foster-to-adoption families would. There has been an incident with Professor Pyg and-”

“Jim, we’ll be right down.” Jason cut the older man off. He was like an Uncle to him and he felt awful doing so but there was clearly a child that needed their help. He knew it wasn’t any of their kids as none of their emergency communicators were going off, neither were the special ringtones Barbara had set up for each of the family. They enable them to call from any phone or computer and would ring with a specific tone indicating the caller needed dire help.

Jim huffed out a small laugh. It had been known by both the Wayne and Gordon families since Jason’s return that Jim knew who they all were under the suits. He’d confirmed their suspicions after finding a tortured boy in a tattered Robin costume and, in his panic, phoning Bruce’s _daytime_ line. “Come to Gotham General. I’ll meet you in the foyer.” With that he hung up knowing it wouldn’t take the two men long to get to the hospital.

The trip to Gotham General was supposed to take twenty minutes. Supposed to because it only took the two men under half that. To be fair they were driving their modified Range Rover Sport, that was in essence a daytime Batmobile. Not only could the bodywork and glass now withstand a shot from a most high calibre rounds, the glass had adjustable tint levels. In addition the inside had been tricked out with electronics and new hard ware. Everything from the engine to the sound system, to the bloody air con were all custom. This meant that the 0-60 time was 4.2 seconds instead of 6.3 and the top speed changed from 137mph to 150mph.

Jim heard a squeal of rubber as the Range Rover came to a stop outside the hospital’s front entrance. Unlike most hospitals worldwide where the only entrance after a certain time was through the Emergency Department, Gotham kept their main entrance open too. This was to relieve the congestion in the ED Waiting Room due to the high number of nightly emergency patients and their relatives. Gotham was, after all, a literal Hellmouth. He watched as the two men he’d seen grow from gangly teens into a happy, loving family climb out and rush towards him.

Jason watched as the Commissioner’s signature moustache, which he’d always sported except for the couple of months following a charity sponsored shave, twitch into a long-suffering smile. “Boys, I’m glad you could make it. I take it there was no traffic.” There was a teasing tone to his voice but both men picked up on the out they were being given as there were officers around who’d heard Jim make the initial phone call.

“Clear all the way here.” Kyle interjected before his sleepy husband could stick his foot in it. It was something the other man was prone to do when it was after midnight and he wasn’t in costume. “So, I take it you called us about a child caught up with Pyg…was that who you said?”

A deep sigh was accompanied by another pinch to the bridge of his nose. “Yeah. I am sorry I’ve had to wake you both for this. It’s, um, it’s not pretty.” Jim said. His entire being radiated a tiredness that would drive most people to quit or take their lives. In Jim, it just read as his desperation to make another of Gotham’s children as safe as he could before falling into bed for his standard three hours. The man got less sleep than the Batman but still managed to convey emotions and appear human, something Bruce’s children were always ribbing him about.

The trio walked sedately through the hospital until they came upon the Paediatric Mental Health Unit. Jason felt his hackles rise as soon as he caught sight of the cheery, overly colourful sign. He’d been admitted to their ward once his physical injuries had been healed as the (now former) lead psychiatrist had wanted to study the effects of long-term torture by the Joker on the child psyche. It had taken two visits from Barbara, which were unfortunately spread out over the course of three weeks due to college finals, for Jason’s treatment to be discovered. To say the lead psychiatrist had been a monster comparable to Dr Hugo Strange would be a massive understatement. A tight rhythmic squeezing pulled Jason from his thoughts as they changed to the song he and Kyle had danced to at their wedding, the main theme song from the Pride and Prejudice film that they’d seen on one of their earliest dates.

They all walked to the family meeting room where a nurse and social worker were waiting. After initial greetings, Jason still holding firmly to his husband to prevent his anxiety spiralling, the five people sat down. “Now Mr and Mr Rayner, has Jim told you anything about why you’ve been called?” The nurse started up, wanting to get through this all quickly and get the traumatised child out of a medical setting that could make her trauma harder to heal from. They gave a quick rundown, summing it all up with ‘not a lot’ which caused the social worker to roll his eyes affectionately.

“Leaving us with the harder task Gordon?” He joked and flashed a warming, friendly smile at the trio. Jim just puffed out his own laugh in response. It was clear his tiredness and the stress of the situation was catching up with him.

The nurse reached over to the small table beside her and picked up a folder. “Tonight at 22:30 a raid happened on the suspected lab of Professor Pyg, also known as Lazlo Valentin. Batman and his team found multiple victims who’d unfortunately already been turned into his _dolotrons_.” Her voice dripped with disgust. No-one in Gotham liked what Pyg did to people. He may have thought them perfect, to everyone else they were just physical examples of pure sadness. “There was a child on his table as they entered. Luckily the full process hadn’t been completed.”

The nurse handed over a couple of photos. The both showed a terrified girl of thirteen with blue eyes that were hopeless and blank. Her head had been shaved and her skin looked a little too tight for her face. There were markings in blue mixing in with cuts and dried blood littering all available skin. “She doesn’t appear to have the mask Pyg’s victims usually do.” Jason thought aloud.

“No she doesn’t. You’re right there. She’s spoken little since she got here but what she has told us is something no child should have to go through” The nurse took a steady breath and a sip of water from her bottle. “Sasha’s father thought he was only selling her to Lazlo, but he knocked them both out. She came round locked in a birdcage and had to watch as her father was torn apart in that criminal’s version of surgery. He didn’t make it through the procedure as Lazlo found two bullets embedded in his femur. He was going to turn her into a dollatron, was almost successful too. Sasha is going to need lots of love and patience to get her through the coming months.”

The social worker looked up from the folder of notes as the nurse came to an end. “Jim mentioned that you’ve both had great success with the three traumatized children you’ve taken in. If you’d be willing, could you take Sasha home? We feel she’ll recover quicker in a homier environment.”

“I also told them that you’d both been through your own traumas and so could empathise with her more than most of Gotham’s foster homes.” Jim looked sheepish for divulging such information. He knew it was common knowledge that Jason had been through something traumatic, but Kyle’s history was private. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Kyle shared a look with his husband and could see everything he needed to know. “That’s fine. Especially if it helps with the placement of a traumatised child into our care.”

The two were led to a colourful side room. It was decorated in such a way as to appear like a generic teenager’s bedroom. There were artful posters of exotic destinations on the walls, a couple of paperback books were on a side-table, and there was a desk to enable them to do homework set by the onsite teachers. The bed even had bright bedding in green. Jason was impressed. The room was a marked improvement from the cold, bare room he’d been in all those years ago. He pushed his glasses up his nose and squeezed Kyle’s hand.

Kyle knew what that squeeze meant. Usually when out in public Jason wore a special putty on his face to smooth out and disguise the J shaped scar that’d been branded into his cheek. The squeeze was something he’d only felt when Jason came into contact with other victims of torture. Kyle turned back to Jim and whispered what Jason was going to do and if the ward staff could give them some space as anyone but his family, or trauma victims, gawking at it could trigger a panic attack. He’d tumble into his memories of Joker and anyone else sent to terrorize him and the way they’d all point out, or taunt him about, the brand that was never allowed to heal properly.

Once the putty had been removed and put into the tub Jason kept in one of his jacket pockets for just such occasions, the pair knocked on the door. There was no answer, so Jason opened the door a crack and looked around. The sight he was greeted with broke his heart. The thirteen-year-old was huddled into the corner rocking herself and murmuring softly. She was clearly locked in her own head; something both men had experienced.

They entered the room and did that silent communication that couples who’ve been together for a long time are able to do. Kyle perched on the edge of the bed and Jason went over to be near Sasha. He sat down cross-legged just out of arms-length and let his hands rest, palms up, on his knees. He was letting her look him over and see he wasn’t a threat while keeping his own gaze off her. Only turning to look at those crystalline blue eyes when he could feel them locked onto his brand.

“Hey Sasha, I’m Jay and that’s Kyle.” He kept his voice low and soft, pointing over to his husband of five years. “A friend of ours, Jim, called thinking you’d be more comfortable living in our home than staying here. We’ve already got three kids, and a dog, as well as our own experiences of trauma.”

Jason decided to shrug off his jacket. He was wearing a short-sleeve t-shirt under, a slightly too big one he usually only wore around the house. With his arms exposed all of the scars that littered them were visible to the teenager. He saw her eyes widen as she took in all the various marks made with n array of weapons or substances. “I was caught by a madman once too. He wanted to turn me into a miniature version of him. I was rescued by Jim and the Bats, same as you.”

Sasha finally looked up at him. “What’s his damage?”

“Oh you know; dad was never around, mum was murdered, love of my life was kidnapped and tortured when we were seventeen for over a year eventually being presumed dead until Jim found him; the usual.” Kyle gave a one shoulder shrug. He shared a quick look with Jason, both having already worked out that she’d be coming with them. He moved to sit next to his husband and let her see the ring on his right hand. “I also became a member of a space police force at fourteen. Lost countless friends during out battles and went on to become the first ever space cop for this part of the emotional spectrum.” He gave the white ring a twist and his suit, sans mask, materialised on his body. Sasha let out a small gasp, eventually pulling her eyes away from Kyle’s White Lantern suit and over to Jason.

“There are only three white lanterns, only one of those is human. He’s married to,” she looked around and lowered her voice, “the Red Hood.” Jason gave her a shaky smirk, the summing up of both their lives leaving him feeling a little flayed alive (a feeling he knew all too well, physically and emotionally). “That’s awesome.” She whispers even quieter. She’d not meant for either man to hear but she was a little out of luck with Kyle. He’d since remove the suit in case anyone other than Jim walked in. “Lived around the Alley since I was like three. You two are, like, our only proper heroes.” Her voice was a touch stronger than when they’d first started talking. The knowledge that her foster fathers were the East End’s very own heroes acting as a soothing balm over her ever-increasing anxiety.

It’s easy enough to settle Sasha into their home. They moved Uzo’Amari’s bedding into Evangeline’s room as she’s the one with bunkbeds and grab a spare set from the airing cupboard. All of their kids are too small for Sasha to fit into any of their clothes, so they’d made a call to Tim on the way back; going via a Red Robin drive-thru. By the time the got back to their apartment there was a large bag, stuffed to overflowing, with clothes. If it wasn’t for the fact they’d gotten pretty good at reading their own kids, especially when they were still only foster kids, then they’d have been upset at Tim for getting so many clothes. Some were even in the next size up. Luckily, they had and felt confident in assuming Sasha wouldn’t be going anywhere.

That first night, well more morning once they’d gotten her settled into bed, was a long one. Jason had to stay in the rocking chair that was wedged into Uzo’Amari’s reading nook. Sasha was too scared to sleep in the room on her own and his presence helped her feel safe enough to try to settle down. When she was able to sleep, nightmares ended up tearing her back into the land of the living. Multiple times Jason had to pull her hands away from where they were trying to gouge lines into her scalp. After the third time of Sasha waking up, throat hoarse from screaming, Jason tried something that had only worked with Dylan. He read aloud. He’d been re-reading Jamaica Inn (by Daphne Du-Maurier) to keep himself awake to help her feel safer. It took no time at all for his voice to lull her into a solid sleep that eventually ended naturally, without screaming or any physically violent behaviours, three hours later.

Roy and Koriand’r agreed to keep the three kids for another couple of days, to allow Sasha time. They’d have given her longer, knowing that Jason’s family would have looked after the other three. However, after taking in three traumatized kids, they knew that having their kids home would provide Sasha with support closer to her own age. They could better understand how she was feeling and would help provide her with peer support right off the bat.

***

It was a month and a half since Sasha had come to stay with them. She was finally starting school, having been given the all clear by the psychologist she’d been seeing. There was one major problem; a world ending one for any teenager. Her hair hadn’t grown back.

When Sasha had been rescued it had been assumed that the ‘light’ chemical burns wouldn’t inhibit her hair growth. Now, a month and a half later, the burns are healed and there are a handful of patches across her head where hair has started to re-grow. It’s clear to the family though, that it isn’t going to re-grow and that if it does; it won’t be in time for her to start school. Jason knew how hair refused to grow through scar tissue. His beard never grew near the brand. His arm hair was patchy, as was his leg hair. His chest hair was non-existent from the extensive levels of scarring, another thing that contributed to his repeated ICU admissions as his chest couldn’t fully expand due to the constrictive scar tissue. Hell, he even had a couple of bald spots from where Joker had ripped away more than just hair on occasion.

It was a mid-breakfast meltdown ending with Sasha locked in the bathroom that led to the family of four walking into the best wig manufacturer in the city. The shop had been around for decades; managing to survive multiple super villain’s attempts to take over, more than one riot per year, and (in the early days of the Bat) repetitive break-ins. The break-ins had stopped once Jim Gordon had appealed on TV for them to stop due to the fall-back on chemotherapy patients. The shop had been giving each chemotherapy patient (when presented with an official medical note) two free wigs per year. They were able to afford it because their wigs were of such high quality that rich people from the surrounding cities buy from them. With the profit they pulled in per wig they soon started offering it back to those that had too many other outrageous expenses and not enough ‘good’ days. The owners felt that if they could provide one person with cancer, just one, with a good day…then it made sense for them to break even more often than turn a profit. Soon after the announcement the break-ins stopped. On top of that they started getting anonymous donations from multiple parties. There were even rumours that the villains had agreed to a truce regarding it being untouchable.

The family arrived at the shop just before lunch. Dylan was happily munching on an apple while strapped into his carrier on Kyle’s back to prevent sticky fingers getting tangled up. Evangeline and Uzo’Amari were either side of Sasha providing her with sisterly support. It was obvious from the tense shoulders, eyes locked on the floor, and tight grip on both girl’s hands that Sasha was terrified. She was terrified of being judged. Terrified of someone laughing. Terrified of _never_ feeling like herself again.

A gentle, grandmotherly looking woman wandered up to the eclectic family. She had a short white bob, smile and laughter lines littering her face, deep brown eyes that reflected a life of kindness. She was slightly hunched in that way most people over eighty managed and had on a smart pale blue blouse with a long, cream skirt. Her and her husband were the original owners; which became apparent when she shook both men’s hands. They could feel the callouses from where the wigs were all handmade. Years, decades, of work summed up by the hardened skin littering her hands.

“I’m Mary, but everyone calls me Minnie or Min. What can I do for such a lovely family today?” Her voice was rough, indicative of a lifetime of smoking mixed with Gotham living. Her accent was hard, all Burnley twists.

Jason stepped forward and placed a hand on Sasha’s shoulder. “My daughter, Sasha,” he’d stopped adding foster in front after he’d soothed her through her sixth nightmare riddled night. She’d screamed, kicked, and clawed her way into his heart. “She needs your expertise to help her confidence grow.”

Reaching up slowly, Sasha pushed back the hood covering her nearly bald head. The woman takes a small step forwards; her eyes never showing disgust or pity, her smile remaining kind. “I think we’ve got a few options in that a beautiful girl like yourself will love.” She toddled over to a series of hairdressing chairs that were each surrounded by three mirrors. It enabled the customers to get a view of the front and sides of each wig while also providing a small sense of privacy from other customers.

Min shuffled off while Sasha got comfy. She was closely followed by Evangeline and Uzo’Amari who wanted to find a wig or two for their newest family member. Twiddling her thumbs nervously, Sasha looked over her shoulder using the mirror and saw Jason watching her from close behind. He swung the backpack off his shoulder and pulled out a fidget toy in the shape of a dodecahedron. Averting her gaze and letting out a quite response she took the toy and began to let out her nervous energy.

Ten minutes later Min reappeared with both girls trailing behind, all holding two boxes each. She placed her two down on the table beside the chair and instructed the girls to do the same; then began pulling out the first wig. It was a gorgeous red colour, reminding Jason instantly of Roy, with a mass of curls that sat in line with her jaw and a straight fringe. She explained the adjustment straps under the lace-cap and slipped it over Sasha’s head.

It was so quiet that a you would have heard a pin drop. For close to a minute the family waited for Sasha to get the courage to look in the mirror. When her gaze finally landed on the reflective surface the silence was broken by a soft, almost strangled gasp. Her pale hands, decorated by the pink of fresh scarring, slowly reached up and ran through the loose curls. As her fingers reached the end of the curls a second time a laugh finally bubbled up out of her chest. It was the first time they’d heard her laugh. The small, innocent sound pulling darkness from the family and bringing tears to the three adults around her.

“Well Sasha, what do you think?” Min’s question seemed to pull Sasha from whatever world her mind had wandered too and the girl looked at her slightly bewildered. “Obviously we’ll trim this front lace, so it follows your head better. We will also give you some of the special adhesive we make so the chances of it slipping are slim-to-none.”

“It’s, I-uh,” The teenager was lost for words. For six weeks she’d felt lost. She’d felt like her body was no-longer her own. For six weeks; every time she caught a glimpse of her reflection she felt like vomiting, crying, or letting her nails tear into her scalp…sometimes all three. For six weeks the kind men stood behind her; one completely engrossed in chatting about tigers with Dylan, the other just being the reassuring presence he’d been since day one; had tried to help. They’d tried to reaffirm how she was _still_ beautiful. How anyone who judges her are too closeminded to be worthy of her time. They’d tried to build her confidence up from its current new low. They wouldn’t have had a great place to start from anyway, but after Pyg her confidence had been lower than the Mariana Trench is deep. “Thank you.” Sasha finally managed to croak out, voice hoarse with unshed tears. “It’s beautiful.”

“Oh nonsense Dearie. If it’s beautiful, then that is purely because the young woman wearing it was beautiful to begin with.” Kyle smiled at Min’s kind words. It was clear she’d spent many hours helping people affected by cancer. Too many hours in his opinion as far too many people ended up with the disease. It was something he constantly used the blue light of his ring to scan for with his family. He might not always be able to help his husband’s chest infections, but he’d be damned if he didn’t help prevent the four (now five) of them getting such a vicious and unforgiving disease.

The family watched as Sasha blushed but didn’t push back against the words. It was something she’d been doing every time they’d tried to help, to reassure her. The only member of the family allowed to call her pretty, or a variation of, was Dylan; and that was only because _no-one_ could deny his puppy-dog eyes.

Evangeline stepped up to her sister’s side, shoving her Pai out the way. “Sash, I told you. Eres hermosa… now you just look more _you_.” She bumped her shoulder with the teenager and then reached for one of the boxes she’d picked. “Try this one too. Like, Pai and Dad will get you this one anyway…so it makes sense to also try some you can wear to change your look _way_ quicker than I can.” She pulled out a wig that would end half-way down Sasha’s back. It had a gentle wave to it and an off-centre parting. The most striking thing about it, and which made it clear it had been Evangeline’s pick, was the colour. The wig started off as a dark violet at the roots that ended up transitioning into a barbie style pink at the ends. Sasha, upon seeing the wig, let out a squeak and grinned at Evangeline. There was so much happiness in her eyes that Jason and Kyle both resolved there and then to fight every day for that light to be in her eyes. Even if it meant buying her a wig in every colour of the rainbow.

Laughter rings around the small shop as Min situates the colourful wig just right. Sasha’s eyes light up even more as she flicks the hair over her shoulder. Spinning out of the chair to look at her Pai and Dad; two men she never thought she’d meet, let alone _never_ want to let them go. The trio burst out into matching grins and the girl flew into their arms. She could feel her brother, _her brother_ , patting her head over her Dad’s shoulder; wanting to get in on the hug.

They heard a shutter of a camera and broke apart, Jason keeping Sasha tucked under his arm. “That happiness right there; that’s why I still do this.” Min looked like the human equivalent of the heart eyes emoji as she looked at the family. “It’s clear how much you love your daughter, how much all of you love her.” She held the camera up so they could all see the photo. Both men were clearly holding back tears while a brightly coloured head peaked out the top of their muscular arms. It was a beautiful moment, made even cuter by the happy face of Dylan who could be seen peaking around his Dad to look at his excited oldest sister. “I hope you don’t mind, it’s just I’ve got this photo album…well it’s more a set of albums. They’re all moments of pure happiness like yours, people who came in here feeling ugly and leave feeling beautiful once again.”

“Why would we mind. You’ve given our daughter her smile, and hopefully her confidence, back.” Jason said, his words sincere as he watched Sasha wander back to the chair to try another wig.

The teenager now looked like a new girl. As she slipped off the pink and purple one her smile didn’t dip, unlike when she’d taken the first off. She knew the short amount of time she’d have to see her head bare would feel like a millisecond compared to the rise her self-confidence took when one was put on. “Mari, let’s try one of yours.” The Russian born Gothamite insisted. The alien handed over one of her boxes and ran her prosthetic forelimb lightly over Sasha’s head. A simple reminder that she’s not alone in needing man-made adaptations to feel whole.

Two hours later, and $1,500 lighter, the family leave the shop with five wigs. Two are ginger; one being the short, curly one Sasha tried on first (that she’s wearing home) and the second is pin straight and falls to just below her waist. There is the purple and pink one Evangeline picked out. The fourth is a literal rainbow of curls that Uzo’Amari picked out. It has a zig-zag parting that sits to the left of centre, complete with tiny curls around her hairline to make the look more natural. The final wig was one Kyle and Jason picked out. It’s a bright red, the same shade as Jason’s hood, with a gentle wave making the hair flow in a way that’s reminiscent of every female hero when drawn in a comic. It also had a deep sweeping fringe that was as voluminous as the rest of the wig.

Min had attempted to give them a discount, she’d even wanted to give them two of the wigs for free seeing as it was a medical based need. The two men made it clear that they were paying for her time and quality workmanship thereby refusing her offer to only pay for three. The three adults had managed to come to a compromise with the wigs all being paid for but any care accessories (such as shampoo, conditioner, and the bonding liquid) were all given to the family for free with any subsequent refills also being free. Min valued her clients, she never saw those with medical needs as customers, happiness above her profit margin. It’s why she did what she did.

A change comes over the family during the next few days. Sasha comes out of herself more and more. The teenager is still riddled by nightmares. She still struggles with her confidence. However, she feels more a part of the family. Her siblings pull her into more and more schemes. Her parents find their house full of four types of laughter. Granted one is still a little shaky, a little more broken than the others. It’s still there though. Joining them all together like the missing link none of them even knew was missing from their lives.

***

After living as a family of six for over a year it became clear that the apartment the family shared on the edge of the Bowery just wasn’t large enough. The two twelve-year-old girls needed their own rooms as tensions were beginning to run high as their hormones kicked in, something that was stronger with Uzo’Amari’s Ragtari DNA. The rest of the apartment was becoming a little too cluttered for Jason’s OCD and he was spending more and more time doing his translations in local cafés just to escape the mess. Kyle could tell that, despite the added time Dylan was spending with his extended family (including his Godfather Hal), being away from his Pai was having an adverse effect. Something they desperately didn’t want as he’d already been held back a year due to his developmental delays. After speaking it over with Stephanie and Duke, other graduates of the worst of Gotham, the family found a brownstone that boarded Burnley and the Bowery.

The brownstone consisted of three floors, not including the attic or basement. The top floor held; the master bedroom, two double bedrooms, and a bathroom. The second floor consisted of one more double room and two smaller twin rooms, along with a second smaller bathroom that had just a small shower, toilet and sink. As you walked in the front door you were greeted by a small hallway that had the stairs up to the upper floors and had two doors. The ground floor was mostly open-plan with the kitchen, living room, and dining room all flowing together. The light woodwork and matching floor tying the rooms together despite their separate colour schemes. The second door led to Jason’s office. It was simple and elegant in its design. A large bay window contained his custom-made desk enabling him to work in as much natural daylight as possible. The soft, thick red carpet played off the maple wood bookshelves that covered most of the walls with only three feet either side of the bay window clear for him to pin up anything the kids made or achieved. The attic was converted into a studio for Kyle with bright natural light pouring in from the sky lights they had installed and the basement was set up as the Red Hood’s base with four different types of authentication required to access the room.

Sasha, being the eldest, got the double room on the second floor. All of the kids had had a hand in decorating or planning their rooms, all except Sasha. When Kyle had found out that she’d been born in Russia but had moved to the States at three and never been back, he’d wanted to find a way to help her connect with her nationality. As such, the artist had painted a beautifully flowing sunset in various shades of pinks, purples, reds, yellows, and oranges. They were overlaid with a silhouette of famous Russian landmarks such as; St Basil’s Cathedral from Red Square, the Kremlin, Catherine’s Palace, the Transfiguration Church from Kizhi Island, the Winter Palace, and a few more. It was a connection her birth parents had never bothered to foster; deciding that their daughter didn’t need to know her heritage, just as she didn’t need to know the truth of how nasty her father could be. Fairy lights were twisted around the ornate, antique bedframe Bruce had found her, enhancing the inviting atmosphere that Kyle had been aiming for. She also had a large pinboard above her headboard to collect all those memories and mementoes special to her. It had taken a couple of months after she’d moved into the room, but Bruce’s antique’s dealer had eventually managed to find a dressing table and wardrobe that complemented the bed and colour scheme. Per her request, one corner of the room held shelves that contained enough mannequin heads to display each of her wigs. There was even one that she could connect her hairdryer to too speed up the drying process.

Evangeline chose one of the rooms on the same floor as her parents and had gone simple with her decorating, choosing pastel purple walls. This was because her main focus was on the glow-in-the-dark paint Jason helped her put on the ceiling in various constellations. She’d even gotten references from the other Earth Green Lantern’s, and Tía Kori, to add in constellations from Oa and Tamaran. Her bed was another antique found by Bruce, this time in oak. It came with a matching desk and wardrobe which added a warmth the room was lacking due to the pastel.  

For Uzo’Amari, who had one of the twin rooms beside Sasha, Kyle roped Damian into helping decorate the feature wall to resemble the sun rising over Ragtar as seen from space. The rest of her walls were cream while fairy lights led around the room. Her furniture was a matching cream set Selina had found while hunting for new furniture for Helena’s room as she was now three and wanting to pick her own room style. There was also a den constructed for Exorbitantly Light to curl up in whenever they wanted to get some peace away from the family.

As Kyle had been busy with two of his girl’s rooms, he’d paid a couple of his fellow artist friends to come in and decorate Dylan’s room. With the help of an interior designer, who was also working on the rest of the house, they’d managed to fit each of the nine Titans he’d picked into the design scheme.

The second twin room was just the right size for such a young boy. The wall his bed rested against had Nightwing and Robin working at a command centre, with the underside of the high-rise bed being turned into a toy command centre/Batcomputer just for Dylan. His bedding rotated between Nightwing and Robin, both easily replaceable in Gotham as kids bedding is easily ruined. Built-in wardrobes were made to enable the wall art of Beast Boy and Cyboard (as Dylan has always called him) having a pizza party to continue uninterrupted.

Perched near the window, as if looking out at a target, was Speedy. White lightening started near the pizza party and ended in a smug Kid Flash, stuffing his face with pizza, on the same wall as Speedy. It was done in a way that made the archer look as if he was acting as Kid Flash’s lookout. The final wall held Raven looking bored by the antics of the boys while her raven-shaped soul-self filled most of the wall’s empty space.

Of all the incredible artwork already adorning his son’s room, the part Jason loved the most was the ceiling. Starfire and Wonder Girl were painted flying through a clear blue sky, but that wasn’t the best part. Once darkness filled the room a special black-light nightlight would flick on and illuminate the UV paint the artists had used on the two women. Startfire’s hair looked like they’d managed to bottle true fire and have it flowing through the design; while the stars and lasso of Wonder Girl stood out as the beacon of truth and hope they really were.

***

Not long after Dylan turned six he came running into the house after school and completely ignored his parents. Duke had picked the kids up and was staying for dinner as Jason and Kyle had needed some time to themselves. Jason had been in Cambridge for a month as a guest lecturer for the Literature programme doing classes on the influence of foreign literature on English literature. He’d only really had the weekends free and so hadn’t been able to see his children or husband in that time. He’d come back on the Monday and his siblings had been taking it in turns to pick the kids up for the last three days to give them more time together while also getting to see their brother.

Both men looked in the direction their six-year-old firecracker, matching frowns of concern falling into place. It was an unusual occurrence. Usually the boy would fly into their arms after any time apart from his parents, enjoying the permanent safety that they provided. They went to go after them when Evangeline stopped him.

“Let us three girls go talk to him, you two get dinner ready and catch up with Tío Duke.” She patted her Dad’s arm and wandered off with her sisters.

The three girls found their brother curled up on his bed crying. Immediately their hackles rose and Exorbitantly Light floated over to run a tentacle through his short, brown hair. A quaking sob rose in volume until all three of his older sisters were climbing onto his bed and suffocating him in love. All three are pinballing between concern, anger, and fiercely protective.

No-one hurts their family and gets away with it. They’d learnt that when they found out the people who’d been Evangeline’s foster parents had been killed in prison by a friend of Tío Roy. Crocodile Killer or something like that, they weren’t sure exactly.

Dylan’s birth mother had ended up with a dodge batch of heroin, as did everyone that had been hauled into Blackgate from the drug den he’d been found in. The police blamed the prisoners and Romain Sionis for smuggling the drugs in.

Uzo’Amari found herself being bullied once she started school. The families of the three girls who’d picked on her were no longer able to afford living in Bristol due to their businesses being bought out by Abuelo. The bills from the legal battle for trying to prevent the liquidation of the businesses (with all the workers moving on to better paying jobs in Wayne Enterprise and Queen Industries) meant that their fortunes had dwindled significantly. The school also lost the funding and prestige of having the Wayne Grandchildren attending as all three were moved to a middle school closer to the East End, leading to the public school (and it’s partnered elementary and high school’s) getting a large injection of funding thereby improving conditions and pay.

Pyg may have ended up in Arkham instead of the end of one of Pai’s bullets; not that he’s ever killed, seriously injured and paralysed but _never_ killed (because _yes Abuelo there is a difference!_ ); he did end up in a place that loves their Abuela and her friends. The family is safe in the knowledge that the Ex-Queen Clown of Crime and her plant-based consort are keeping him in suitably torturous conditions; those befitting of someone who dares to hurt children.

“Baby D, you gotta talk to us eventually.” Evangeline speaks up, making sure to use the name Unchi Dick gave him shortly after meeting the then two-year-old.

There is some shuffling, lots of sniffing, and Exorbitantly Light passing over many tissues while they dismantle Dylan’s nightlight. Quickly reassembling it into a different piece of technology that can still work as a functional nightlight. Finally, once he deems himself calmer, Dylan sits up in the protective and loving bubble his sisters have formed around him. Using his sleeve once last time to wipe his eyes he takes a shaky breath. “We had to make Mama’s Dad cards today. Didn’ wanna cause we ain’ got’s a Mama. I’ve heard Pai and Dad talking about my birth Mama before. She’s the reason I’m a year behind as it is.” Sasha balled her hands into fists and forced them under her crossed knees to hide how much they were beginning to shake. Dylan’s history had to be revealed to the school prior to his starting as he was delayed developmentally. It’s something that hadn’t ever bothered him, or so they’d all thought. Sasha can see the jab for what it is though. It’s a weak attempt at diverting them from what actually upset him.

Sasha catches his eye and sees that defensiveness wilt. You can’t be in a family with as many strong women as Dylan is and hide your emotions, no matter how hard their Abuelo unintentionally tries to tip the scales the other way. “What’s really upsetting you Squirt?”

Their brother deflates and leans into Uzo’Amari’s embrace. “They said I couldn’t make a card for Dad or Pai as they’re both men and that I should make it for Abuela instead. It’s not a day for her. She’ll get stuff from Pai and all her kids.”

“Stuff what your teacher, or whoever said, we’ll help you make Mother’s Day cards for both Pai and Dad.” Sasha releases her hands, feeling the strain from a couple of the tighter scars pull. “We’ll split into pairs and tackle one each. Mari, you work with Eva for Pai; I’ll work with Squirt here for Dad. We can give them a Mother’s Day they’ll never forget before we’re all dragged to the Manor for the obligatory lunch Pai’s been ranting about since he got back. Sound good?” There are a chorus of agreements with them eventually splitting off to plan.

Dylan and Sasha are holed up in her room. The ability to be surrounded by soothing colours painted by their Dad helped them get fully into the planning process. They could have worked in Dylan’s room, except for the fact that spending too long in the obnoxiously bright colours of a Teen Titans themed room gave her a headache. Uzo’Amari and Evangeline had moved to Evangeline’s room, deciding they needed to be on a separate floor to their siblings to better plan. The two twelve-year-olds were also hoping that by spreading out they’d be better able to hide any cards and gifts made from their _inquisitive_ parents.

As Mother’s Day dawned the four kids of the Rayner family congregated in the kitchen. They rarely got to be in there without their Pai watching over their shoulder. Granted he did it out of concern for their safety; but was also weirdly protective of _his_ kitchen. Sasha was in charge of the stove, being the oldest at fifteen. Evangeline was measuring out all the ingredients required for pancakes while supervising Dylan who was mixing it all together. Uzo’Amari had set about preparing the fruit salad and putting together the three trays they’d be using to take the breakfast up to the third floor to their parents’ bedroom.

Soft knocking woke the two men up and as Kyle grunted permission for their kids to enter Jason checked the time. It was just after eight, the early time and blaring blue of his phone backlight causing him to grunt in annoyance while starting to roll over. He stopped when he felt Kyle’s foot tapping against his calf. The four kids were stood at the foot of the bed, Sasha and Uzo’Amari holding a tray each with cards and a small wrapped gift nestled in with the breakfast. Evangeline was holding the third tray that contained breakfast for all the kids.

A genuine, lovingly soft and tired smile crinkled the edges of both men’s eyes. Their kids looked proud with a hint of anxiousness, if the shuffling feet and tense shoulders were anything to go by. They shoved around their pillows and sat up, knees flat to the bed to balance the trays on.

Both girls with the trays for their fathers approached and placed them down while Dylan climbed on to the foot of the bed. Evangeline placed the third one on top of the chest-of-drawers and started splitting the pile of pancakes between four plates. Kyle lent over and pressed a kiss to Jason’s cheek, cupping his face in one hand allowing his thumb to run over the brand. It was something he did every morning they were together. The simple action worked towards reassuring his husband that he still loved him and found him attractive, despite all he’d been through.

“What do we have here kids?” Kyle asked while picking up one of the two cards. It had clearly been written out by his son; the childish writing with a backwards letter in ‘Daddy’ all being indicators to the author.

“Dylan’s teacher was making his class make Mother’s Day cards and wouldn’t let him make them for you two. She knows about his trauma yet still insisted.” Sasha explained, reaching over to ruffle Dylan’s soft hair. “We decided she was talking rubbish and helped him make it day for the pair of you. After all,” a small blush bloomed across her cheeks and she ducked their gaze, “it takes a special kind of father to be a mother too.”

“You guys.” Jason whispered. His eyes were watery, and he hadn’t felt prouder of his kids than in that moment. They’d solved Dylan’s upset and helped him get a step further along the road to overcoming the first two years of his life.

Kyle opened his cards and gift first. Dylan’s was first. The child’s scrawl messily said; _Daddy, happy mama’s day. Love you Dylan_. It was followed up by many, many kisses. He smiled at his son and blew him a kiss, his movement restricted by the tray in his lap. The second card was from Sasha. It was simple. She’d coloured the front in each colour of the emotional spectrum. She’d simply signed her name in violet, nothing more needing to be said as the Lantern and artist understood it all in its simplicity.

He turned his attention to the gift displayed to one side of his tray. The paper was clearly sheets of white paper the pair had designed together so Kyle took upmost care to split the tape. There was a small box inside in a gorgeous green, much darker than he’d ever worn as a Green Lantern. He opened the box with just as much care unveiling moss green tissue paper that played off against the evergreen of the box so well. The artistic side of Kyle fluttered at his kids matching the colours so well. He really, _really_ , loved his kids. The ruffle of the paper being moved filled the anticipatory silence as he moved it all around to see inside. Finally he got to the gift. It was a simple clay heart with both their fingerprints pressed into it, two little hearts made with their index fingers. Sasha had written their names under each heart with today’s date. Two small holes pierced the heart so it could hang from the white ribbon, representing adoption, that was carefully laced through them.

Tears welled up in his emerald green eyes making them glisten like the gem. A flash of violet ran around the edge of his iris. His love for his family vibrantly displayed for them all to see. Moving the breakfast tray to the side, Kyle pulled both Sasha and Dylan into a hug. “Thank you. You two…” Kyle broke off as his voice was cracking with the emotion as he breathed in the sleepy breakfast scent filling Dylan’s hair before pressing a kiss to Sasha’s bald head.

The slightly older of the two men sat back and looked over at his husband, who was looking just as emotional as he felt. “Your turn Pai.” He settled his tray back on his lap and settled in to watch him open the gifts from their twelve-year-olds.

Jason’s tray was set out in much the same way as Kyle’s. The first card had a beautiful drawing of him and Evangeline. As he looked closer, he saw that it was him as Hood and Eva as she’d been when he’d first found her. He was crouched on a rooftop while holding her shoulders. It was a simple sketch compared to some of the other pieces she’d made over the years. This one was different somehow, held more emotion. Sure they’d shared five Father’s Days together. They’d shown each other how much they loved one another. This small sketch still managed to mean that much more. Maybe it was the day, he supposed, a day they’d never celebrated but had chosen to of their own volition. Inside was her beautiful cursive script that was the closest to Alfred’s out of the entire family as she’d spent hours practicing with him having wanted her writing to be as beautiful as Great-Grandpa Alfie’s writing. _Pai, You are one of the best parents the world could ask for. To the world you are just another hero; to me you’re **the** hero. Your Princesa x_

Tears were filling his vision as he picked up the second card. This one was a simple card declaring _Happy Mother’s Day Pai_ in pink, a favourite colour of his Ragtari daughter. She’d written her message inside in Ragtari, a language the family had all been determined to learn for her. _Thank you for being my Dad. Love you, Your Uzo x_. Jason’s vision got even more clouded seeing her so easily including terms of love towards him. She’d been so scared of losing them all, just as she’d lost her birth family, and so was always sparing with telling her family how she felt. They could all see it but reading it a couple of times a year still meant something more somehow. He also loved that he was the only one who called his daughter Uzo; everyone else shortened it to Mari, so it felt as special to him as calling Evangeline his _Princesa_.

A bright red parcel was sat near his orange juice with a fluffy, feathery bow resting on top. Jason carefully preserved the bow and then tore into the package with all the enthusiasm of his kids at Christmas. The shredded paper fell away to reveal a hanging ornament made of resin. It was something Evangeline was currently experimenting with in the studio with Kyle. There were a couple of bubbles in the otherwise solid piece and he was struck once again with pride at his daughter’s ability to use any art medium. It was a square, 4”x4” with a depth of 2”. Incased in the clear substance were four woven pieces of embroidery thread. As he looked over what they made he realised it was the symbol for adoption. A triangle overlaying a heart. It was a symbol he had tattooed on the left side of his rids, nearest his heart, with each date his children had legally become his in a list under. Three shades of grey were platted together to make up one side of the triangle; signifying birth family. Pink, purple, green, and blue were platted for the side standing for the child; each of his children’s favourite colours. The last side, the one standing for the adoptive parents, had red and green twisted together. The heart overlaying the triangle signified the love they all shared involved his children’s favourite coloured platted together with red and white, the same shade of red as his helmet, so show the hero sides of their parents that brought the family together.

Unable to hold his tears back any longer, Jason passed his tray to Kyle and pulled his two girls into a crushing hug. Tears slipped into their hair as their own fell onto his sleep-shirt. It took a couple of minutes for them all to calm down. For them all to break away, Jason being the last to let go. It was something he always did to show all of his kids he was never letting them go again. “Guys, this is all beautiful.” He finally croaked out. His voice still torn between sleepy and the emotions of the morning.

With cards and gifts opened the family all settled onto the large bed to eat breakfast. Jason flicked on the news while shoving a piece of pancake in his mouth. “These are really good. You guys did well.” He let out a cheeky grin. “I take it my kitchen is still in one piece.”

“It is Pai, it’ll also be clean for you too. Once we’re all finished here that is.” Evangeline said with a shrug, her own mouth stuffed with pancake. Kyle flicked her on the nose. A simple reprimand for talking with food in her mouth.

Both men turned their attention to the news as a breaking story made the volume increase. “We’re coming to you live from outside the GCPD Headquarters on Miagani Island. Just before dawn a massive raid was carried out down by the docks by the police with support from Red Robin and Nightwing.” Vicki Vale spoke clearly through the noise of Gotham and other reporters. “Twenty-five members of a gang rumoured to come from Bialya have been arrested in conjunction with child trafficking charges. Large buses were seen leaving the scene earlier with estimates of the number of children found easily hitting one hundred. We are now awaiting a statement from Commissioner Gordon and will keep you updated. This is Vicki Vale for Gotham Today.” The news report ended and the studio came back on screen. The two morning presenters were discussing the ramifications when Kyle looked over at his husband. He could see the anger at so many children being exploited from the white-knuckled grip he now had on his cutlery.

Kyle nudged Jason in the ribs with his elbow knowing he needed to distract his husband before he bent another fork. “$20 says we end up fostering one of them.”

“You’re on Rayner.” He responded with a snort.

The morning was as beautifully calm as a Sunday morning in May in Gotham could get. The sun was out, just about managing to break through the almost supernatural cloud cover and smog that usually covered the city. Kyle and Jason were lounging on their patio while watching their kids in the garden. Dylan had roped all three girls into playing heroes with him. He’d picked Bizarro as his character, his favourite hero (and also favourite Tío). Sasha was Wonder Woman, her favourite hero, and Uzo’Amari was Star Sapphire; not her favourite hero as that happened to also be Wonder Woman, but she was a close second. Both girls had picked up on their Pai’s love of Diana and had quickly adopted her as their favourite hero. For Evangeline, her favourite hero was still Red Hood and no-one could change her mind…not even the embarrassing actions of her nerdy Pai. She’d ended up in the role of villain and so was pretending to be a Batman turned rogue. It was a game the quartet often played with the heroes and villains often changing. It always made Jason laugh when his father or Hal Jordan (who was like a surrogate father to Kyle and grandfather to the kids) were cast as heroes gone rogue, especially as he had once hated his own father for abandoning him to the Joker. He changed his mind with the help of Kyle and Guy Gardener who kindly stepped up as his therapist/psychologist.

There was a sense of serenity in the Range Rover as the family drove through Gotham. When Sasha had joined the family Bruce had gotten the R&D division of WE to make a back seat that incorporated four seats instead of the usual three, with all the space for Dylan’s car seat. This meant that the driver could see all four of the children at once, something that came in very handy when you were the parents of four children with trauma. There was more traffic on the roads than a usual Sunday as more people were travelling around to see family or going out to lunch. Still the family didn’t mind idling in traffic as they headed towards the Kane Memorial bridge. It was too good a day to let anything bother them.

The Range Rover hadn’t even fully come to a stop before the large oak front door of the manor was being opened. Alfred was stood on the top step, suit as pristine as ever, while Helena ran down to meet them pulling her two-year-old niece Mary Gordon along behind her. Luckily the younger girl had all of her father’s acrobatic dexterity and so managed to keep her feet underneath her.

As the family piled out of the car Sasha scooped up Mary while Jason grabbed his sister and threw her into the air. The girls utter delight and carefree laughter bubbled out of her as her brother continued to toss her. “Really Master Jason?” Alfred’s tone was slightly scolding but there was clear amusement coming from his body language. It was always nice to see his family together for something unrelated to the family business or Jason being unwell. He’d been seeing them more over recent years with the addition of five great-grandchildren and his newest grandchild (Helena).

“Sorry Al,” the second oldest of the Wayne family shouted back as he caught Helena one last time. The girl was gasping breaths between her laughter as tears streamed down her face. “Helena is just the easiest of my siblings to make laugh.” Alfred and Kyle caught the wistfulness of his tone. The sort of hoped that Jason would have formed the tight bonds Dick had with his siblings by this point but there was just too much between them all. They were close. They were Aunts and Uncles to his children. They just weren’t able to have the easy love and acceptance that Helena showed. The young girl held no worries for his health. She didn’t see the hero that wore guns strapped tightly to his thighs. She didn’t care what had happened before. All she cared about was having her brother around and getting to spend time with all her family.

The Rayner family made their way into the once cold and foreboding but now warm and inviting manor. There were clear differences that Kyle always noticed, and felt, from the time before and after Selina moved in. Somehow, in some almost miraculous way, she’d made the halls that had once been filled with ghosts her own. She’d ensured that every member of the family _always_ felt welcome, even more so than the elderly butler/grandfather. Her outside influence had helped modernise the mausoleum of a building.

Kyle stayed by Jason’s side while the family socialised and caught up before the sit-down lunch. He was shaking slightly from his anxiety, still uncomfortable with being around so many people. He always soldiered through for his children, not wanting them to have the lonely childhood he’d had. It didn’t mean his anxiety understood. It was irrational and uncontrollable most of the time. A large group of people could often make his mind spin back to those horrific few months where Joker had him. The clown wanting to perform with _his bird_ for an audience larger than the bird and Harley Quinn. He’d invite in guards on his payroll, other rogues, or just gather up random people he’d scare into silence. All because he wanted to hear their reactions mixing in with the screams and shuddering breaths of _his_ Robin.

The family finally all sat down to eat. Selina and Bruce were at the heads of the table with Barbara and Stephanie, who was pregnant through a sperm donor with a kid for her and Cass, either side of the glamorous cat burglar. Mary was beside her mum, with her dad Dick on her right. Beside Steph sat Cassandra followed by Helena to her left. Jason and Kyle were opposite each other, Jason snagging the seat next to his youngest sibling. Their kids were beside them; Sasha and Uzo’Amari (who wasn’t wearing her cloaking charm while inside) were next to their dad, while Dylan and Evangeline were next to their Pai. Duke slipped in beside Eva and Tim chose to sit next to Sasha. Damian was seated beside Duke with Connor opposite as he’d been left the seat between his partner, Tim, and Bruce.

Conversation was flowing as they made their way through the delicious starter of carrot and coriander soup. It was followed by the main course of roast Lamb with new potatoes, a selection of vegetables, salad and mint sauce. For Damian, who was vegan, there was a roasted squash in place of the lamb. He’d once tried to force the family to become vegan but they (in other words Dick) helped him realise that it was everyone’s choice what they ate and he couldn’t decide for them.

It was during the main course that Kyle’s phone started to ring. He’d set it so all calls would be screened and only those from select contacts would get through. Considering the only people not in the room with him who’s calls would get through were the other human Lanterns and CPS his stomach had dropped. Quickly followed by his heart when he realised the ringtone, Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston, meant it was a child needing help. He shot Jason a look clearly saying _you owe me $20_ and walked into the adjoining kitchen.

“Kyle Rayner speaking. Who’s calling?” He answered in what Jason called his _phone voice_. The reply he got made his lunch make a valiant effort to return to the world. “Okay, Jason and I can be at the children’s centre on 14th street. We’re at the Wayne’s so it’ll take us about 45 minutes. See you soon.”

He walked back into the room and placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder. He gave it a squeeze as the tension radiating through the Red Hood was starting to make the man’s breathing speed up. “We’ve got to go. A pair of two month old twins was found with all the children last night.” He shot a pointed, almost venomous, look towards Dick and Tim. He was angry that they’d not shared that small piece of information despite knowing that the Rayner’s were on the list of approved foster carers for all ages of children. “Can we borrow two newborn car seats Bruce?” It was well known in the family that the Grandfather had purchased enough car seats that he could leave them in his most often used cars. “Also, kids you’ll be coming with us. I want us to meet these new fosters together.”

“Unlike every other time ya mean.” Sasha drawls in her Lower Gotham accent.

“Ha. Ha. Drama Queen. ‘Sides from the way Exorbitantly Light is floating around Selina it’d be mean to leave you four here with her in her current condition.” Jason sassed his eldest back. The room froze, tension building, as everyone took in what Jason had just let slip. They all knew the technical Huragok loved children and pregnant women, along with having an uncanny ability to tell when someone was pregnant. They were how Stephanie had found out her embryos had taken. They’d been following her around for the entire day when she’d babysat Dylan a couple of months earlier. One pregnancy test and ultrasound later the two women had discovered they were expecting twins. “Oh shit! Sorry Pai.” He said quickly, his hand flying up to his mouth as panic began coursing through him.

“No worries Jay-Lad. We weren’t sure if we were expecting anyway, so your lovely Huragok has confirmed my suspicions for me.” Selina’s silky voice broke the palpable tension allowing the Rayner family to slip out of the room to the sounds of congratulations by the other occupants.

No-one spoke until the Range Rover was in sight of the GCPD Headquarters, six blocks from their destination. “Fu-I mean,” Evangeline gave a cough. She’d been swearing since she picked it up from her original foster family at age six but didn’t want her brother to pick it up too quickly. “That was one hell of an exit line. Can’t believe Abuela is pregnant again. I’m gon’ be thirteen years older than me newest Tío or Tía once they born.”

“Ei, when’s Abuelo gon’ learn to wrap it. We were taught that in middle school!” Sasha dramatically exclaimed from her seat in the very back of the car. Kyle had flipped up the extra two seats while Jason had been installing the car seats so all the family out fit in the _very_ custom Range Rover Sport SVR.

Jason’s booming laugh filled the car, quickly joined by the rest of his family. A small, happy thought flitted through his brain making his smile soften. _I really love my mismatched, patchwork of a family_. “He didn’t learn after Damian was dropped off by Nyssa after Talia died; I doubt he’ll learn now.” He couldn’t quite believe he was having this conversation and was just glad his six-year-old son had fallen asleep before they’d left the manor’s winding driveway. Damian had been two when Nyssa had appeared with him on Bruce’s doorstep. He’d had Jason back for six months at the time and Dick had to step in for the majority of Damian’s toddler-hood as he’d been too focused on helping his tortured son.

Conversation and laughter drifted back to silence as Kyle pulled into a spot outside the children’s centre. An odd mix of anticipation and worry was building as they looked up at the wonky sign. They’d had a few foster kids come to stay with them since moving into their new house. However, they’d all been over three with some going back to their families or being adopted into new ones. This felt different. The age of the kids, the care they’d require. Along with the unknowns of their origins made it a scary new experience.

The twins were beautiful. It was a collective thought through the family, excluding Dylan who was too focused on his Nintendo DS and Pokémon game to pay them much attention. They were both sexed as boys and were identical almost down to the freckle. Dark brown, almost black silky hair covered their tiny heads. Eyed a similar depth were just visible from under the sleepy lids. Both had a golden skin tone that spoke of one or more of their birth parents being Bialyan. Each couldn’t weigh more than 5lbs and they were cuddled up in the cot, not an inch of space between them.

“Misters Rayner. It’s lovely to meet you, I’ve heard a great deal about your family from my college Kimberly.” A plump woman, no taller than 5’7’’ greeted them. Her handshake was firm and the grey hairs streaking through her red hair indicated the level of stress being a social worker in Gotham put upon a person. Despite the firm handshake and hardened exterior, her umber eyes showed a kindness for all the children under her care.

In the twelve years since Jason was at the mercy of Gotham’s Child Protective Services the service had come on leaps and bounds. The bad eggs were being weeded out with those that truly cared being put into positions with more responsibility over their other colleges. This put a level of accountability in place. Granted foster families, orphanages, and some social workers still fell through the cracks as there were just too many children in need within the crime ridden city. Even in the five years since Jason had found Evangeline on the streets the service had become almost unrecognisable to that of the one the family first encountered.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs…” Kyle let his voice tilt up on the last word. He hoped the woman was one of the good ones, one of those that actually cared about the children on her caseload.

“Oh gosh, my apologies. I’m Lisa Watson, Senior Child Welfare Specialist for Miagani Island. I know it seems strange for children under my care to be placed in the East End but we’re really short for space after the number of children found last night.” A dark look crossed over Lisa’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it came. “I’ll be transferring the twins to Kimberly’s caseload at the start of office hours Monday. It’ll make it easier for all involved. It’s been pretty much a all hands on deck situation with fosters and orphanages today.”

Kyle put on his best _press face_ to reassure the clearly overworked older woman. “Lisa, it’s no problem at all. There is always room at our place for a couple of kids in need. Although,” he glanced at the twins who were in a staring contest with his husband and eldest daughter, “with the addition of those two we’ll be a bit full for a while.”

A small, self-deprecating laugh twitched Lisa’s face into a smile. “That’s understandable. To be honest you’re one of the best foster families we’ve got; even if four of those fosters failed.” She winked at Kyle and moved over to the babies they were there for. “I can’t give you many details as people are awaiting trial. All I can say is that they’ve got no known living family and seem to have been the result of one of the traffickers forcing themselves onto one of the girls they were transporting. From the records we’ve been given; she died in childbirth with no living family back in Bialya, and he’s clearly not safe around children.”

“Now,” she rubbed her hands together and then picked up the paperwork to her left, “they’ve not got names so that’ll need sorting out. Kimberly can help you with the legal work there. They’re currently Jack and John Doe.”

The twins were estimated to be two months old and had a minor case of malnutrition. Both men scooped up a baby each and held them close, head cradled in their elbows. Jason was looking the boy over, running a finger over the side of their face. He’d held babies before, he’d been a bit of a hog when it’d come to Helena and Mary, but this felt completely different.

***

It was a warm summer morning in Gotham and Kyle found himself at the stove flipping pancakes. As the monotony of the task droned on he found himself reflecting on the past ten years. Donna had laughed at him when he’d told her he’d discovered how Jason took after his father. The way he collected unwanted kids and made them feel loved and wanted. She, like him, had been convinced that Jason shared his father’s need to bring justice to an unjust world and his capacity for violence. After Dylan joined the family he started to reflect on that opinion. It appeared that he actually took after his father with adopting strays, without turning them into _child soldiers_.

Today was a special day in the Rayner household and was the reason Kyle found himself at the stove in place of his husband. Nabil and Nadir Doe had been with their family for three years and three months. One thousand, one hundred and ninety one days of love, growth, sleepless nights, and far too many nappies. Today, two days before Jason birthday, it would all become official.

The court case against the traffickers had finally wrapped up with unanimous guilty verdicts a month ago. The details had been harrowing to listen to but Jason and Kyle had been in court every day while their kids were at daycare and school. Finally after six weeks the jury had adjourned, returning two hours later to convict every member of the ring. Cheers had erupted from the pair as they saw their twins’ birth father convicted to multiple life sentences, one of which was for the rape of the fourteen-year-old girl who’d been Nabil and Nadir’s birth mother. He would _never_ be getting out. After a week in Blackgate news filtered down of the man being shanked in the yard. Jason denied any knowledge when Bruce had questioned him. However, late one night he’d confessed to Kyle that he’d dropped hints to an informant he had on the inside about just what the man had done. He knew it would result in his death and Jason hadn’t cared. _No-one_ hurt his family and got away with it. No-one.

Kyle was pulled from his thoughts by a small body colliding with the backs of his legs. Looking down he spied the silky, black hair of one of his twins. “Baba, pancakes for breakfast again?” His soft Gotham accent in stark contrast to the Arabic that fell easily into his vocabulary. It was something Jason had been determined the twins would know as a way to connect with their birth mother. After all, unlike his other kids, she’d never known her children.

“It is a special day after all my handsome Nabil.” He ruffled the boy’s hair and retired to frying pan.

Jason was the last to appear at the dining table. His tie was undone and his shirt was rumpled. A sure sign of trying to get three teenage girls, one nine-year-old boy, and three-year-old twins dressed and ready for court. He shot Kyle a tired smile. He’d cut back on his nights out as Red Hood once Nabil and Nadir joined the family; refusing to leave all the night feeds to his husband. He’d planned to have his birthday week off completely.

Then Cassandra, who’d taken up the mantle after Bruce _finally_ retired at New Years, had called. It was an all hands on deck situation with an explosion at Arkham leading to a mass breakout. Even Selina had pulled on her Cat suit to help out. Jason had ended up working with his team of _Outlaws_ , who’d added Artemis of Bana-Migdall and Bizarro a couple of years ago to complete the roster with Koriand’r and Roy. The five of them backing up the Bats had still led to a long night with him only rolling through the basement door at five am. He’d managed to get two hours sleep, Dylan distracting the twins from six, until all six kids had barrelled into the room at seven.

Today, after nearly one thousand two hundred days, Nabil and Nadir Doe we’re going to become Nabil and Nadir Rayner. Today after countless hours with social workers, case managers, lawyers, and a judge or two the Rayner family was going to be officially complete. Today; the happy, boisterous, and loved twins would cement that where all of Bruce’s kids took after him in a different way…it was Jason who had an infinite reserve of love. It was Jason who saw an abused, neglected, terrified, tortured, unwanted kid and called them his own. It was Jason, Kyle realised, who’d made the White Lantern notice what their family was missing and started filling the void. After all, it was Jason who’d started it all off with one homeless seven-year-old girl, who’d been unable to walk away or leave her at the mercy of Gotham’s CPS, who’d initiated the start of something truly magical for Kyle. Yes, today was special, but then again every day Kyle had shared with the Gothamite had been special. So really, today was no different from any other.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been my baby for many, many, loooooong weeks! I hope you all enjoyed it!


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